Legal Definition and Related Resources of Androlepsy

The taking by one nation of the citizens or subjects of another, in order to compel the latter to do justice to the former. Wolff. Inst. § 1164; MoUoy de Jur. Mar. 26.

What does Androlepsy mean in American Law?

The definition of Androlepsy in the law of the United States, as defined by the lexicographer Arthur Leff in his legal dictionary is:

The practice by a nation of holding hostage citizens of another in order to make their country “do justice” in a dispute between the two. May include the old practice whereby a nation signing a peace treaty delivered hostages to secure its performance of the terms thereof. In the modern world, the closest analogue (though the word is never used) most likely occurs when some group seizes private citizens, e.g., on an airliner, and threatens to kill them unless their nation takes some action, e.g., releases other members of the hijacking group then imprisoned. If done openly by a sovereign, it would be an act of great hostility, one just asking for retaliation. But it may be being done subtly but frequently today, e.g., when a citizen tourist of the U.S. is arrested for a “crime” in Bulgaria and then traded for a Bulgarian spy previously captured in the U.S..

Browse

You might be interested in these references tools:

This definition of Androlepsy Is based on the The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary . This entry needs to be proofread.

Vocabularies (Semantic Web Information)

<