Prosecuting pirates is a pain

A Somali man has pleaded guilty to hijacking a U.S. ship and kidnapping the captain in April 2009. Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse entered the plea yesterday in a federal court in New York. He could receive a maximum of 34 years in prison. You might remember this case: The U.S. Navy, including the USS Bainbridge, got involved, and Muse tried to negotiate his way out. It did not go well for him:

Four days after the hijacking began, Muse boarded the Bainbridge and demanded safe passage for himself and the others in exchange for Phillips' release, according to a criminal complaint.

While he was away from the lifeboat, Navy SEALs shot and killed the three remaining pirates, authorities said. Muse was then taken into custody.

Prosecuting pirates is kind of a headache. Somalia is a world leader in piracy, but the "government" there doesn't really function. Kenya has agreed to prosecute pirates caught by other countries in its courts, but on a case-by-case basis, Bloomberg News reports -- their court system is overworked, too.

Some countries, like the U.S., will occasionally prosecute any pirates they capture, as is the case with six Somalians awaiting trial in Virginia. AOL News notes there are problems with that, too. Authorities say they're illiterate and don't seem to understand what's going on. Also, they tend to prefer camel or buffalo meat -- something that's at a premium in Virginia. The Volokh Conspiracy had a good post about this, many moons ago.

Of course, there's always the Russian solution.

(AP Photo/Louis Lanzano, File)

Comments

[Jellybean]

Did he invoke the Right of Parlay?

...I like his name. It's got a nice beat and I can dance to it.

[FanDanGo]

The Russian approach is to toss the pirates back into their shot up boat without weapons or boarding tools, toss the dead back in with the living, hand out some water and food, and set you adrift.

Well. Makes shooting them in the head seem pretty ... tame by comparison.

[Pat]

Why should it be a pain to prosecute a thug from a nation that obviously doesnt care too much for us?

BANG!

[James Hart]

Fan: The Russians say they didn't mean to kill the Somalians, but I wonder if that was actually the point of doing so. There's nothing more powerful than a bad example.

[Obama is the man]

I like the Russian way .. It's more effective and just!

Today's leaders are foolish weaklings and cowardly intellectuals. Pirates do not respect the rights of others and human life. The solution during the 17th and 18th Centuries was to hang all pirates or kill them on the high seas. Justice was served, piracy was curtailed, and the freedom and safety of the seas was restored.

[EsqEB]

I don't see anything wrong with the Russian solution and who gives a sh*t what kind of meat they prefer. Give them a bologna sandwhich and a glass of water three times a day

[Daniel]

Dumbass should of used isohunt. Then he wouldn't of gotten caught.

[SLY]

Gotta say I'm a fan of the Russian solution. Prepared to do the crime, be prepared to do the time...in a lifeboat, 300 miles out to sea, and without any navigation equipment. Best of luck to you!