Aden court prosecutes 22 Somali pirates

ADEN, July 15 (Saba)- Aden Primary Court listened in its Wednesday's hearing to indictment directed against 22 Somalis accused of piracy.

The accused are divided into two groups, the first one is composed of 12 and the
second of ten.

Presided over by Judge Mohammad al-Abyadh, the Head of the court, the indictment
indicated the first group had abducted the Yemeni boat (Salah Addin) with 12
fishermen on board under gunpoint last December 13.

The indictment clarified that the accused boarded the boat of the victim Ali Kulaib
and forced him to go to special places to carry out criminal goals against the will
of the owner of the boat.

According the indictment, the 12th accused used the boat to chase foreign ship and
fire against her to be stopped and then kidnapped, a matter is prohibited and
banished in Islamic law.

Indian frigate has arrested the accused and handed them over to Yemeni Coast Guard
Forces and have been interrogated by prosecutor. Ten machine guns have been seized
and RPG as well as a translated report from Indians showing how the criminal carried
out their crime.

The court interrogated the accused about accusations against them. While all of
them denied the accusations, their defense refused the report the prosecution
depended on as a proof and presented it to the court.

Then the prosecution recited the indictment against the other ten pirates who are
accused of kidnapping foreign ship by using RPG rocket and long metal ladder to
climb to the ship.

The indictment indicated that the accused have been arrested by Russian vessel
operating in the Gulf of Aden with their arms and equipments.

The court interrogated the accused about the accusations and denied them. The court
delayed its sessions to next October to enable the prosecution to present proofs.

MA