Hamburg: German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung is said to have proposed the establishment of an international court to prosecute captured Somalian pirates. According to DW-World, Jung felt that an international court would address the problems that have arisen from the lack of a working government in Somalia- where a large number of the pirates are from.
"It needs to be an international authority. No one wants a 'Guantanamo on the sea'," Jung is quoted as telling reporters in Djibouti, where he saw off 220 German troops joining the European Union (EU) anti-piracy mission known as "Atalanta". Last week German lawmakers agreed to send up to 1,400 soldiers and a frigate -- the Karlsruhe -- to the Gulf of Aden as part of the EU mission.
According to the mandate established, pirates may be captured if necessary, and could be kept on board temporarily before possibly being put on trial in Africa.
In October, French forces captured nine suspected pirates at sea and handed them over to Somali security forces. [24/12/08]
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