Feb 16, 2010

Somaliland: Court Sentences Pirates to 15 Years in Prison


Active ImageCourt in Berbera found 11 pirates guilty of piracy and kidnapping, and sentenced them to 15 years in prison.

 

Below is an article published by Qaran News:


The Sahil Regional Court in Berbera has sentenced 11 pirates to 15 years in imprisonment after they were found guilty of piracy and attempted kidnapping.
The court was shown compelling evidence against the accused including photographs obtained from NATO naval forces showing the accused when they were arrested in December 2009.
The NATO international forces released the accused after disarming them, but a few days later the Somaliland coastguard apprehended them after they were seen off the coast of Lughaya near the border with Djibouti.
Somaliland which has declared its independence in 1991 after a union with Somalia was dissolved, is without de-jure recognition, but is comparatively stable and democratic as opposed to other areas in the region.
These are not the first accused convicted of piracy in Somaliland. In August 2008 twenty five people were convicted of piracy and attempted kidnapping and are currently in Mandera Prison south of Berbera in Somaliland.
Somaliland and Kenya are the only two countries in the Horn of Africa to have successfully captured, tried and sentenced people accused of piracy in the region.