An hostage is someone that is hold captive and who can be free under conditions. Detaining an hostage is a remarkable means of pressure for it involves a human life, made the object of a striking threat. Indeed, it gives the hostage taker a great advantage on the deal he gets with the one he is trying to negotiate with.

This method was already used during Antiquity to negotiate treaties. Today, hostage taking is still widespread all over the world. Unfortunately, numerous causes are at the origin of such a measure: claim for ransom, way of escaping the authorities in the case of a terrorist act for instance, means of political pressure, trading currency with other prisoners...

From the second half of the 20th century, hostage takings have been on the increase, mostly taking place in countries where a real political and/or religious contest is at stake: Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Chad, Colombia... In the latter, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) would detain 30,000 hostages. Ingrid Betancourt was one of them: while she was running her presidency campaign, she got kidnapped by the Farcs and detained for more than 6 years in the Colombian jungle. She was released on July, 2, 2008, thanks to the Jaque Operation led by Hugo Chavez's national army.

If hostage takings usually end up by a liberation, the terrorists sometimes carry out their threat. Daniel Pearl's affair -concerning this American journalist of Jewish origins- is one of the most sadly famous one. Kidnapped in Iraq, he was executed in front of a video camera. A Mighty Heart (2007)recounts the tragedy.