Political Offense
Introduction to Political Offense
Political Offense, in criminal law, act declared by a state to involve a threat to its safety or existence, as treason or sedition, or declared to constitute an interference with the organization and processes of government, as bribery of public officials. Such offenses are distinguished from ordinary crimes that disturb the public peace, such as murder, arson, or larceny, but that are not directed against the government. The definition of a political offense has varied in different times and in different countries. For example, sabotage was never considered a political offense in the United States, but was so considered in the USSR.
In modern times the tendency has been to deal leniently with political offenders, other than those guilty of treason, with the exception of such totalitarian governments as those of Germany from 1933 to 1945, of Italy from 1922 to 1945, and of the USSR and other Communist-controlled nations, where counterrevolutionary activities, terrorism, and espionage were political crimes punishable by death. (By 1991 most Communist governments had been overthrown, resulting in greater freedom for political dissidents.) In the United Kingdom and the United States, persons charged with a political offense are not included in extradition treaties. Persons who leave a country because of fear of punishment for the commission of a political offense are generally received as refugees and protected by the country receiving them.” (1)
Resources
Notes and References
- Information about Political Offense in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia
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