Kenyan court sentenced seven pirates to 5-year imprisonment

09.09.2010 Kenyan court sentenced seven Somali pirates to 5-year imprisonment, reports Associated Press referring to their lawyer Jared Magolo.

A court of Mombasa found the Somalis guilty of attacking a German naval auxiliary ship Spessart in the Gulf of Aden on March 29, 2009. Pirates mistook the ship for a commercial vessel and tried to capture, although were repelled and arrested by assault team from German frigate Rheinland-Pfalz. The next month pirates were handed over to Kenyan authorities.

Pirates plan to appeal the verdict, said Magolo.

"Even though we believe that the verdict was not very heavy, but the conviction was not proper", added the lawyer.

The EUNAVFOR representative welcomed the Kenyan court's decision.

"The judgment marks an important step in the cooperation between EU and Kenya in the repression of acts of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia", pointed out Maj. Gen. Buster Howes, the EUNAVFOR-ATALANTA commander.

Including seven new criminals, Kenyan courts have found 35 Somalis guilty of piracy since 2006.