Seychellois judge does not taste pirate humor
(BRUSSELS2) The Supreme Court of Seychelles on Monday (5 November) found 15 Somalis guilty of piracy and sentenced them each to 18 years in prison. A rather severe sentence but which is explained by the circumstances as much factual as political.
Tanker attack fails
The pirates had attacked a tanker, the MV Sunshine, in the Arabian Sea. The tanker's crew only owed their freedom to the rapid measures taken by the ship's captain: retreat into the citadel, use of water cannons on the skiff... But above all, they had a stroke of luck. A US naval group was nearby. The aircraft carrier USS Stenis and her escort (the USN supply ship Rainier and the missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay) alerted by the SOS call approach, the Seahawkh helicopter takes to the air. The intervention of the soldiers had stopped the attack. The whole being filmed by helicopters (for the proofs in particular) allowing in particular to attest the use of the weapons by the assailants. Shortly after, an SH-60S Seahawk helicopter from theUSS Kidd located a pirate skiff next to an Iranian fishing boat, the Al Molai. The fishermen then reported to the Americans that they were being held hostage. The US intervened again, taking the kidnappers prisoner and freeing the fishermen.
It was for fun, Judge!
The pirates' defense tactics were original. The pirates maintained that they were quietly fishing in the Arabian Sea. And that if they had fired a rocket launcher at a tanker, it was just to "fun". As for their weapons, it was only "for their own protection". The kind of joke which apparently did not really please Judge Mohan Burh, according to the Seychellois press."Shooting an RPG at the deck of a ship under such circumstances cannot really be considered a very fun activity." recalled the magistrate, not without irony. As for the excuse of fishing with Iranian friends, it did not hold his attention either. The 18-year sentence is undoubtedly not foreign to this defense strategy. ...
A very political case... also
This is the first time that the Seychelles archipelago has judged a case so far from its natural zone and which does not directly concern Seychellois interests. It must also be said that this case was sensitive. The rescue of the Iranian ship had been loudly staged by the Americans at a very sensitive time of tension between Iran and the United States. We will therefore not be surprised if Barbara Nuland, the spokeswoman for the US State Department officially welcomed this condemnation. " We appreciate the regional leadership of Seychelles on the fight against piracy, as demonstrated by their willingness to prosecute and incarcerate Somali pirates, as well as hosting a regional intelligence coordination center to support prosecutions against future pirates. . The sentencing marks a step forward in building a strong and united international response against piracy from Somalia and in promoting freedom of navigation worldwide. »
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