This chapter summarises and problematises the arguments presented in the preceding chapters. By critically reflecting upon the findings of the book, this chapter will turn the spotlight on the human rights violations of hostages and try to give them voice.

This chapter examines the historical background that caused a rise in hostage-taking incidents and an escalation of violence against hostages in the two-decade period between 1960 and 1980. It offers a critical evaluation of the responses of states adopted in the aftermath of major hostage-taking incidents, and in doing so, it shows that although the international community was shocked by the human cost of these crimes, the human rights of hostages were not incorporated into any of their responses. Instead, states adopted a series of conventions, known as the anti-terrorism conventions (TSCs), aimed at criminalising the various forms of hostage-taking and ensuring that alleged offenders do not escape justice. This urged states to consider implementing human rights mechanisms for the protection of alleged offenders, while they continued to ignore the human rights of victims. The gaps in the victims’ protection continue to exist today, as the TSCs have become an integral tool in the fight against modern hostage-taking.