Admiral: Pact near for Somali pirate trials

[unhappycamper]

Admiral: Pact near for Somali pirate trials
By Brian Murphy - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jan 23, 2009 9:19:11 EST

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Captured Somali pirates could soon face trials and serve jail sentences outside their homeland under a pact being negotiated between American officials and regional allies, the head of a new U.S. anti-piracy task force said Friday.

The lack of an international framework to bring pirates to justice is among the many frustrations for naval forces struggling to curb rising attacks on merchant vessels off lawless Somalia, where pirates launched more than 100 assaults on ships last year and took away millions of dollars in ransom.

Rear Adm. Terence McKnight said an accord could be reached within weeks to clear the way for piracy trials and imprisonment in countries “in the region.” He declined, however, to name the nations possibly willing to hold the trials.

“We’re working with a couple of countries that have helped ... out before,” McKnight said in a telephone interview from the USS San Antonio, which began anti-piracy patrols last week along with another U.S. warship.

In November, a Kenyan court gave seven-year prison sentences to each of 10 Somali pirates captured by the U.S. Navy after hijacking an Indian-based merchant ship. Last week, eight suspected pirates detained by a British warship also went before a Kenyan court in Mombasa.


Rest of article at: http://navytimes.com/news/2009/01/ap_pirate_task_force_012309w/%2e