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Dubai, UAE, July 7, 2012 – A group of 31 Somali judges and prosecutors
will travel to the UAE in October for training in holding piracy trials.
The captured pirates are led from the MV Arrilah-I, which they hijacked
in April last year. Courtesy UAE Armed Forces
The workshops are part of a UAE-French initiative to equip the Somali
judicial system to try its own piracy cases, rather than relying on
other nations to prosecute them.
"We are working with the UAE to train judges, prosecutors and clerks to
set up a strong framework for trying cases related to pirates," said
Jocelyne Caballero, special anti-piracy representative from the French
ministry of foreign and European affairs.
"We want to support Somalia to prosecute pirates on their own. Being
judged by their own authority will have much more effect than
prosecutions abroad."
The first group to undergo two judicial training sessions will be chosen
from Somalia and the semiautonomous regions of Somaliland and Puntland.
"The curriculum and the programme will be taught in the UAE," said Ms
Caballero.
An official from the UAE's international security department confirmed
the plans and said it would also look at training some Somali legal
authorities to instruct others at home.
"The training will also be for law teachers," the source said. "We are
still working on details."
Somali piracy cost governments and the shipping industry more than Dh25
billion last year, the advocacy group One Earth Future Foundation says.
More than 200 sailors are being held hostage by Somali pirates, and 62
have lost their lives to pirates since 2007.
The secretary general of the United Nations issued a report in January
suggesting Somaliland and Puntland could be suitable locations to
prosecute pirates. At the time, concerns were raised about whether the
structure was in place for fair trials.
Neighboring countries including Kenya, Tanzania and the Seychelles have
successfully prosecuted pirates, handing down sentences of between 10
years and life in prison.
Kenya has the highest number of pirates in prison, the foundation says.
Of the more than 750 in jail worldwide, 140 are in Kenya.
"Trying the pirates in Somalia is critical," said Theodore Karasik, the
director of research and development at the international security
consultancy Inegma.
"The steps being taken in Kenya and Tanzania are important first steps,
but the system has to be created in Somalia."
The Kenyan ambassador to the UAE Mohamed Gello said prosecuting pirates
in neighboring countries such as his was also a strain on resources.
"Any move that will help the Somali judicial system effectively deal
with pirates is welcome," Mr Gello said.
"This sends the right signals that law and order is slowly being
restored, along with the administration of justice.
"It is crucial to build confidence in the judicial system and for the
pirates to be dealt with in their own country."
In the UAE, the Federal Criminal Court sentenced 10 Somali pirates to
life imprisonment in May. They were captured last year by UAE special
forces and the US Fifth Fleet after they tried to hijack the UAE bulk
oil carrier MV Arrilah-I.
The UAE's stance on battling piracy has long been underpinned by a
belief that capturing pirates is only a first step, one that must be
backed by programmes to strengthen local communities and bring stability
to the area.
This was highlighted at the international counter-piracy conference in
Dubai last week, co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Experts and diplomats there said the UAE's efforts to bolster Somalia's
legal system were in line with the long-held policy that regionally led
action plans were the best solution.
rtalwar@thenational.ae
Source: The National
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