What is Piracy?
Piracy means sailing on the sea for private ends without authorization from the government of state with the object of committing robbery or depredations upon property or acts of violence against persons. Therefore pirates are persons who attack by sea without any authority from any state.
Piracy is of two types:
1.Piracy Jure Gentium
2.piracy by the state of the country.
Piracy Jure Gentium- It is an offense against all nations. Therefore every state has the power to punish it.
According to Stephen, if a person is guilty of piracy who being peaceable upon on any ship, seizes or attempts to seize her by violence or by putting those in possession of such ship in fear or takes and carries away or attempts to take and carry away any of the goods thereon by violence or those in possession of such ship or by putting them in fear. Both actual robbery and attempt to commit robbery amounts to Piracy Jure Gentium. By engaging in piracy, a person becomes hostes humani genesis and forfeits all claim immunity from the tribunal of his captor. Piracy is committed even where the subjects of the same states commit robbery upon each other on the high seas would not be piracy if the states are at enmity for enemies can never commit piracy on each other, their depredations being deemed mere acts of hostility.
Piracy by Statute of the Country - There are certain acts which are not treated as Acts of Piracy, under international law, but treated as piracy under the laws of a country. Such acts, which are made piracy by the laws of the country, are punishable by the court of that country.
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