Piracy & Ship Attacks April 29, 2010

U.N. Security Council cracks down on pirates
On Tuesday April 27, the UN Security Council approved a Russian proposal to tighten efforts against piracy and possibly establish international tribunals.

The 15-member body unanimously adopted the resolution for tougher legislation to prosecute and jail suspects caught off the coast of Somalia. The resolution also asked that countries criminalize piracy under their domestic law and apprehend suspected pirates and imprison convicted pirates within applicable international human rights laws.

The resolution stands to enhance the capacity of the judicial systems in Somalia, Kenya, Seychelles and other states in the region. Currently Kenya’s courts system is overwhelmed and can take no more cases, which is why the United States recently brought 11 pirates back to the US to be tried.

The Security Council requested that U.N. Secretary, General Ban Ki-moon report in 3 months on possible new options for prosecuting and imprisoning piracy suspects.

Currently, 15 vessels and 326 sailors are being held by Somali pirates.

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Somali Pirates being prosecuted in the U.S. : Update
Yesterday, one of the 11 suspected pirates being tried in Norfolk, VA plead not guilty to charges of piracy, attacks to plunder a vessel, assault with a dangerous weapon, and other weapons counts. The other 10 were granted a delay in the arraignments until Friday, giving them more time to talk with their attorneys. Piracy carries a mandatory life sentence while the other charges they are facing carry imprisonment of 10 to 35 years.

The Somali mission to the United Nations says a regional or international tribunal should try the suspects, but the U.S. Defense Department pushed for a criminal trial because the U.S. Navy was the victim in the attack.