Posted on 04/23/2010 12:14:05 PM PDT by JoeProBono
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) -- Eleven Somalis accused of attacking two navy ships off the coast of Africa appeared in Virginia federal court Friday shortly after being indicted on charges of piracy.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
Sure, why not Pirates? I mean, Obama wants to try terrorists in our courts - why not Pirates, Drug Smugglers, Slave Traders, and everyone else who breaks the law in a foreign country.
</ sarcasm>
I hope this country survives long enough for Obama to get voted out.
The following is courtesy of our FReind CSVSeT
U.S. source: Pirate suspects will be brought to Norfolk
The suspects would likely be charged under U.S. Code with piracy, according to former federal prosecutor Hunter W. Sims Jr., a Norfolk attorney with Kaufman & Canoles.
Sims, who served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the mid-1970s and has handled cases in federal court here for about 40 years, said he’s never heard of a modern-day piracy case in Norfolk.
According to the statute, “Whoever, on the high seas, commits the crime of piracy as defined by the law of nations, and is afterwards brought into or found in the United States, shall be imprisoned for life.”
A second section states, “Whoever, being a citizen or subject of any foreign state, is found and taken on the sea making war upon the United States, or cruising against the vessels and property thereof … is a pirate, and shall be imprisoned for life.”
“I’m certain those are the two statutes they’re looking at,” Sims said
darn it, beat to the relevant US Code section.
Can’t believe that we get pay for these b@stards for life. Almost tempted to let ‘em go and hope they REALLY get on the wrong side of frigate somewhere. Silly, I know, but worth fantasizing about for a bit.
Good question.
i would think that an Admiralty court would have original jurisdiction.
Why weren’t these people shot and killed in situ?
They don’t look like impressionable yutes forced onto the skiffs.
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