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Kenya prosecutors charge suspected Somali pirates captured by US

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Kenyan prosecutors have charged 17 Somalis with piracy. The men, arrested by US Naval forces in the Gulf of Aden in May, were turned over to the Kenyan authorities last Wednesday and charged Thursday. Also last week, the Swedish Navy turned over seven suspected Somali pirates to Kenyan authorities. The European Union (EU) and Kenya have reached an agreement that allows EU navies to apprehend alleged pirates and turn them over to Kenyan authorities for prosecution. There is a similar agreement between the US and Kenya. Kenya now holds more than 100 alleged pirates from Somalia. Last month, officials from the G8 countries agreed to work toward establishing a system for trying pirates captured in African waters. Also in May, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime obtained Kenyan support to launch a new plan to combat piracy by policing Horn of Africa waters. In April, Kenyan authorities brought charges against 18 Somali nationals who were captured by German and French forces over the previous two months.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on June 16, 2009 (boomark / email).