Court Orders Payout to Somali Pirates

Updated: December 8, 2014 (Originally published December 4, 2014)

Update: A Danish court has just made a similar ruling, ordering the state to pay damages to a group of suspected Somali pirates over delay in presenting the suspects before a judge after their capture in 2013. Story HERE.

A European court has ordered France to pay thousands of euros to a group of Somali pirates over a 48 delay in presenting the accused men before a judge upon their arrival in the country.

A judge at the European Court of Human Rights made the ruling Thursday, determining that France violated the European Convention of Human Rights by not immediately presenting the accused before a judicial authority upon their arrival in France.

The pirates to be compensated, nine in total, were accused and some even convicted of hijacking a French-flagged cruise ship and yacht in two separate incidents off the coast of Somalia in 2008. The nine Somali men were among of a group 12 initially taken into custody over the attacks.

The court ruled that because of the 48 hour delay, France did not do enough to protect the pirates’ rights to liberty and security and ordered the government to pay each of the men compensation ranging from 2,000 to 9,000 euros.

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