The idea of ​​a regional court for pirates is gaining ground

(BRUSSELS2) A Regional Court to judge pirates? The idea is slowly gaining ground, confirmed Rear-Admiral Hudson, Head of the EU Anti-Piracy Mission (EUNAVFOR Atalanta) and Didier Lenoir, CMPD Operations Manager, when I asked them, this Tuesday, at the press conference (read also: Atalanta extended for two years).

The idea is interesting because it offers an alternative to current solutions. Kenyan and Seychellois prisons do indeed have limits. Kenya “ told us that its offer would meet capacity limits Ditto for the Seychelles which can only accommodate a few dozen pirates. Transfer in Europe is not anyone's preference, as no country is willing to develop it, except as a last resort, and for reasons that have more to do with visibility than efficiency. None of the pirates transferred to the mainland are yet to stand trial! As for the idea of ​​an international court, which resurfaces from time to time, and is defended in particular by the Russians, it is really very complicated to set up (need for an international treaty...).

So the solution of a Regional Court seems to take shape as " a long term solution ". The United Nations Contact Group has, however, created a working group on the issue. " Even if there are divergent views, the consensus begins to emerge from a specialized chamber, relying on a regional organization or court explains Didier Lenoir. " It remains to detail the precise modalities ". In fact, there is still a lot of work to do before we have a full agreement and a functioning court. Some countries are very skeptical about this creation (especially the United States). The contact group, which met on Thursday in New York, gave a mandate to continue the work.