Political crime

A political crime is an offense that prejudices the interests of a state or its government. At one extreme this covers direct challenges to state authority such as treason, sedition, and terrorism, but the category can extend much further, since a state may also criminalize political dissent, advocacy for reform, flag burning, or the distribution of information that undermines state-controlled media. The label can even be applied to matters with no inherent connection to government, such as violence against an ethnic group, a trade union strike, or picketing, when authorities perceive the activity as threatening political or economic stability. Political crime is distinct from state crime, in which a government itself breaks its own laws or international law, and it raises its own distinct moral question, since conduct that would not ordinarily be criminal can become a crime simply because those in power perceive it, rightly or wrongly, as a threat.