An Incident of ‘Piracy’ off the Coast of Suriname? The Definition of Piracy and the Use (and Misuse) of International Law Terminology

According to media coverage, a ‘pirate attack’ took place off the coast of Suriname in April 2018. This submission assesses whether the violent incident meets the definition of piracy under international law, reviews different (legal) definitions, and highlights the importance of the location of the attack. It is argued that the use of the term ‘piracy’ and related terminology should have been avoided, as the incident seemingly occurred within Suriname’s territorial sea.