18 U.S.C. § 1203 — Hostage taking

submitted 42 years ago by Pub. L. 98-473 to r/title-18-CRIMES-AND-CRIMINAL-PROCEDURE · 260 words · no verdicts yet

in plain englishAI-generated · not legal advice

This section punishes seizing or detaining a person and threatening harm to force another person or a government organization to act or not act. It sets special rules for conduct outside or inside the United States and defines “national of the United States” by reference.

(a) Except as subsection (b) provides, a person anywhere who seizes or detains someone and threatens to kill, injure, or keep detaining that person to force a third person or government organization to act or not act as an express or implied condition of release commits the offense. Attempts and conspiracies also count. The punishment is any term of years or life imprisonment; if anyone dies, the punishment is death or life imprisonment. (b)(1) Conduct outside the United States is not an offense unless (A) the offender or detained person is a United States national, (B) the offender is found in the United States, or (C) the government organization to be forced is the United States Government. (2) Conduct inside the United States is not an offense when every alleged offender and detained person is a United States national and every alleged offender is found in the United States, unless the organization to be forced is the United States Government. (c) “National of the United States” has the meaning in Immigration and Nationality Act section 101(a)(22) (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(22)).

the actual law source: uscode.house.gov ↗public domain

(a)

Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, whoever, whether inside or outside the United States, seizes or detains and threatens to kill, to injure, or to continue to detain another person in order to compel a third person or a governmental organization to do or abstain from doing any act as an explicit or implicit condition for the release of the person detained, or attempts or conspires to do so, shall be punished by imprisonment for any term of years or for life and, if the death of any person results, shall be punished by death or life imprisonment.

(b)

(1)

It is not an offense under this section if the conduct required for the offense occurred outside the United States unless—

(A)

the offender or the person seized or detained is a national of the United States;

(B)

the offender is found in the United States; or

(C)

the governmental organization sought to be compelled is the Government of the United States.

(2)

It is not an offense under this section if the conduct required for the offense occurred inside the United States, each alleged offender and each person seized or detained are nationals of the United States, and each alleged offender is found in the United States, unless the governmental organization sought to be compelled is the Government of the United States.

(c)

As used in this section, the term “national of the United States” has the meaning given such term in section 101(a)(22) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(22)).

Source credit: (Added Pub. L. 98–473, title II, § 2002(a), Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2186; amended Pub. L. 100–690, title VII, § 7028, Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4397; Pub. L. 103–322, title VI, § 60003(a)(10), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 1969; Pub. L. 104–132, title VII, § 723(a)(1), Apr. 24, 1996, 110 Stat. 1300.)

history & why it existsrecord from the source credit

1984Enacted · Pub. L. 98-473 · 98 Stat. 2186
1988Amended · Pub. L. 100-690 · 102 Stat. 4397
1994Amended · Pub. L. 103-322 · 108 Stat. 1969
1996Amended · Pub. L. 104-132 · 110 Stat. 1300

A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 98-473 on 1984-10-12.

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