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Amsterdam, December 19, 2009 – The group of suspected
Somali pirates detained on a Dutch warship will be released because no
country has agreed to prosecute them.
A Dutch defense ministry statement said the European Union had decided
that the 13 detainees had to be freed because it was impossible to bring
charges.
The suspects were seized in the Indian Ocean two weeks ago after
allegedly attempting to attack a cargo ship.
They were expected to leave the warship on their own speedboat.
They had been on board the Dutch warship Evertsen since early December
after they were tracked down following the alleged attack on the Antigua
and Barbuda-flagged cargo ship MV BBC Togo failed.
Regret at release
The European Union naval force said ladders, grappling hooks, nine
automatic weapons, grenades and other ammunition were found on board
their skiffs.
"The European Union has tried in vain since their arrest to find a
country which would agree to prosecute them," the defense ministry
statement said.
"The defense ministry regrets that the European Union has not found a
suitable solution," the statement added.
Although the EU had signed agreements with the Seychelles and Kenya to
help press charges against suspected pirates, "the two countries
indicated they did not want to prosecute the pirates", the ministry
said.
Differences over laws concerning the arrest of pirates have hampered
efforts to curtail piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
There has been just a handful of pirate prosecutions outside Africa.
Source: BBC, Friday, December 18, 2009
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