A death threat is a threat, often made Anonymity, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or group of people. These threats are often designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behaviour, in which case a death threat could be a form of coercion. For example, a death threat could be used to dissuade a public figure from pursuing a criminal investigation or an advocacy campaign.
Legality
In most jurisdictions, death threats are a serious type of
criminal offence. Death threats are often covered by coercion statutes. For instance, the coercion statute in
Alaska says:
In the United States, some during a
Methods
A death threat can be communicated via a wide range of media, among these letters,
newspaper publications,
,
blog,
[ Blog death threats spark debate BBC News retrieved September 30, 2007] e-mail, and
social media. If the threat is made against a political figure, it can also be considered
treason. If a threat targets a location that is frequented by people (e.g. a building), it could be a
Terrorism. Sometimes, death threats are part of a wider campaign of abuse targeting a person or a group of people (see
terrorism,
mass murder).
Against a head of state
In many governments, including
Monarchy and
of all levels of political freedom, threatening to kill the head of state or head of government (such as the
sovereign, president, or
prime minister) is considered a crime. Punishments for such threats vary. United States law provides for up to five years in prison for threatening any government official, especially the president.
In the
United Kingdom, under the Treason Felony Act 1848, it is illegal to attempt to kill or deprive the monarch of their throne; this offense was originally punished with penal transportation, and then was changed to the
death penalty, and currently the penalty is life imprisonment.
Osman warning
Named after a high-profile case,
Osman v United Kingdom, Osman warnings (also letters or notices) are warnings of a death threat or high risk of murder issued by British police or legal authorities to the possible victim. They are used when there is intelligence of the threat, but there is not enough evidence to justify the police arresting the potential murderer.
See also
External links
