Lost in the
surfeit of stories in the last few days was a choice item about the European
Court of Human Rights awarding damages to Somali pirates who attacked French
vessels.
In case you
think this is an invention by deranged Kippers and other Eurosceptics it is
not.
Quote from
France 24:
The Somali pirate were apprehended on the high seas by the French army on two separate occasions in 2008 and taken back to France for trial.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said that French authorities should have brought the pirates before a judge "without delay" when they arrived on French territory after being held at sea.
The EU’s top human rights court said French authorities were wrong to keep the pirates in custody for an additional 48 hours before bringing them before a judge.
"Nothing justifies such an additional delay," the court said in its verdict, adding that it constituted a "violation of their rights to freedom and security".
France was ordered to pay between €5,000 and €2,000 ($6,100 and $2,500) to each pirate for "moral damages", plus amounts varying from €3,000 to €9,000 ($3,700 and $11,200) to cover legal costs.
In the ruling, published in French, the court nevertheless acknowledged that there were "completely exceptional circumstances" to justify a lengthy detention before seeing a judge, noting that the original arrests took place "more than 6,000 kilometres (4,000 miles) from French territory".
Pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia have declined sharply in recent years, with international fleets now patrolling the Gulf of Aden – previously a hotbed of maritime piracy – and the Indian Ocean, as well as armed guards now being posted aboard many at-risk vessels.
At their peak in January 2011 Somali pirates held 736 hostages, some onshore and others aboard their vessels, as well as 32 seized boats.
The court also noted that the Somali authorities remain "incapable
of fighting" the pirates without international help.
Unquote.
One wonders
what will happen next. Will the ECHR
order the British Government to pay compensation to all the descendants of
those who hanged at Execution Dock?
Given what the
Somali pirates were given for a minor delay, the Chancellor of the Exchequer
may find a big rise in the deficit.
Teams of
lawyers should be trawling the case studies of all those done under the Game
Laws of the past looking for potential claims as well.
If they are successful, I will be one of the big winners.
As for all the
distant cousins whose forebears were transported to Australia and America what
might be their claim?
They are
suffering cruel and unusual punishment?
I suppose French warships will now be harassed by Somali pirates keen to be caught.
ReplyDeleteThe Russians were rumored to have chained captured Somali pirates to the decks of their ship before sinking it. We don't now hear about Somalis harassing Russians.
ReplyDelete