Dutch court convicts pirate

Pirate receives six-year sentence. 

Dutch court convicts pirate

The Court of The Hague has a Somali man was sentenced to six years in prison. The court considered it proven that he – and others – with a gun shot at Dutch navy personnel during the anti-piracy mission of the Hr Ms Rotterdam in October 2012 in the territorial waters of Somalia.

The court called the actions of the man shocking for the international legal order, which is, after all efforts to promote security in the troubled Somalia and protect shipping. Precisely from such a peace mission participating naval personnel should be protected against such violence.

The Court deems not proven that the man, who was on a previously hijacked Iranian ship itself has been involved in the hijacking of the ship. Of this he acquitted. The prosecution had demanded both facts imprisonment of 10 years. The court had the suspect for – lighter – violence against Dutch navy personnel sentenced to imprisonment for two years. Both the prosecution and the Somali man had appealed against that decision on appeal.

The man is in the Netherlands in detention since his arrest in October 2012. A Somali co-defendant was acquitted by the court of culpable involvement in the hijacking or violence against the navy personnel. It remains unclear whether he has had a hand in the incident. Furthermore, he has always denied any involvement in the hijacking of the violence. This co-defendant was acquitted by the court of hijacking and shooting at the navy, but also sentenced to two years in prison for violence against the Dutch navy personnel. That conviction is on appeal by the Court of Appeal reversed on April 2, 2015.

Source: rechtspraak.nl