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[–] 11 points 5 months ago* (27 children)

Every definition of piracy I've seen includes the fact it's a crime. Lawfully seizing a ship therefore isn't piracy.

Now there are varying opinions on whether this detention is legal or not, but personally the Russian government is one of the last organizations I would trust in determining that.

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  • [–] 4 points 5 months ago* (26 children)

    I'm not a legal expert, but this definition sounds like it

    (a) any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed: (i) on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft; (ii) against a ship, aircraft, persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State;

    Now there are varying opinions on whether this detention is legal or not, but personally the Russian government is one of the last organizations I would trust in determining that.

    Sure, we are talking about piracy in general, not Russian opinion.

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  • [–] 7 points 5 months ago* (11 children)

    It's not for private ends, the sanctions on Russia are very very public.

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago (5 children)

    So if Russia passes sanctions against France they can legally seize their freighters too.

    Neat!

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (4 children)

    No.

    "Barrel of a gun" (but you may not know what that means). But also you didn't lay out what France has done in this hypothetical, but no.

    In fact your thinking is absolutely Trumpian, where rules are just there to be manipulated. If not Putin-like, where everything comes down to respect and mafiosa stlye thinking.

    Sounds like you have no idea about politics or geopolitics. Learn the basics:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (3 children)

    I know that video but under the name "The Rules for Rulers".

    It's obviously not a video for anarchists.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (2 children)
  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (1 child)

    Oh I quite agree with that. In the end only power matters, and that is what we're seeing in regards to Russia. The USA set a trap and Russia walked right into it. But just because a majority of people agree with something like sanctions, doesn't make it right or "legal". Only power does that, together with the propaganda to ensure everyone thinks the same.

    I mean imagine we treated the US like we do Russia lol. Inconceivable because of money of course.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago (4 children)

    any illegal acts of violence or detention

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  • [–] 5 points 5 months ago* (13 children)

    (a) any illegal acts

    That's the single critical part on which the remainder of that definition rests.

    If a court operating within the confines of the law declares an act legal, then it is to anyone that subscribes to that system of law.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago (11 children)

    It's any illegal acts of violence or detention, wasn't the latter the case?

    Also what court has a jurisdiction over international seas?

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  • [+] 2 points 5 months ago* (9 children)
  • [–] 0 points 5 months ago (8 children)

    You are saying that a XY country could have a law where it says that it's fine to seize any ship in international waters and thus it's all good and legal then when it does so?

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  • [+] 2 points 5 months ago* (7 children)
  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago (6 children)

    That was not your question. Your question was if it was piracy and it is clearly not, based on your own legal quote. Are you ready to agree to that or still denying it?

    You are probably right that it's not piracy due to the private ends part, my bad, misunderstood. Hence the question what it is called then since is quite similar to piracy.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (3 children)

    It's literally in the headline and article. It's called detention. As a comparison, when police stop you it's called "being detained". They could seize it too, which is called seizure. Neither of those are piracy, though piracy does require detention or seizure. Obviously not every detention or seizure is piracy though.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (2 children)

    Ok, but still, in international water it is an illegal act, isn't it. When police detains you, it is usually legally.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (1 child)

    It's legal by whatever state is saying it's legal. If they say it's illegal for Russia to export oil, it is legal for them to detain a ship they suspect of doing so.

    That doesn't might it "right" or whatever, however you'd want to try and define that for something like this. It does make it not piracy though. Piracy isn't even necessarily "evil" either. It's a tool. States have sanctioned pirates against their opponent many times in the past. The difference is it isn't the state doing it then.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago

    It’s legal by whatever state is saying it’s legal.

    Yes, but only within that state. In international waters it isn't. So it turns out that the said tanker, at least according to France, was not properly registered and thus was detained, not because of sanctions or whatever where emphasis on articles was. If that's really the case, then it was indeed a legal operation.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

    The international Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, following the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is the big one, though in this case really only covers the manner one can legally seize a ship -- the how, not the why.

    For that you'd refer to the International Court of Justice (specifically Ukraine v. Russian Federation ), the International Criminal Court (This case in particular. ), and the United Nations General Assembly's United Nations Security Council Resolution 2623.

    And yes, those case are all linked and part of determining the legality of seizing Russian "shadow fleet" ships.

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