Trial of Somali Pirates

Somali pirates have attacked hundreds of ships from many countries that passed through the Gulf of Aden in recent years. This month alone, three vessels were reported high jacked, one was an American ship whose captain was rescued by the U.S Navy last Sunday.

In spite the fact that those pirates have committed serious crimes, unfortunately according to Legal Blog Watch, the international community is still uncertain on how and where to try caught pirates. The Netherlands and France have taken the lead of trying them in their countries. And U.S officials will try the pirate caught last Sunday in New York because the F.B.I office there has experience with crimes committed in Africa, including investigation of the 1998 Al Qaeda bombings of U.S Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Several countries have proposed that piracy cases to be prosecuted in Kenya, and others proposed the establishment of a special piracy tribunal similar to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Further, the U.S.A, Britain, and other European countries have signed memorandums of understanding with Kenya in recent months, as a result some of the pirates will be prosecuted in Nairobi, Kenya.

Considering that those pirates have committed very serious crimes against the vessels & its crews/passengers, representatives of all the countries concerned should sit down together to discuss and determine how and where those pirates should be tried.