Saturday, March 20, 2010
The majority of the men denied the charges of piracy and kidnapping off Somalia.
"After hearing the charges and evidence brought against the 22 suspected pirates, the court found them guilty of being pirates and sentenced them to six years in jail each," judge Sheik Abdirasak Haji Adan said, according to a security officer at the court.
"Most of them denied the charges and argued they were just ordinary fishermen, but their claims were null and void," the security officer, Abdi Mohamed Jama, told AFP by phone.
French anti-piracy forces operating off Somalia last week handed 24 suspected pirates to the Puntland authorities. Two were later released after being found not guilty.
Meanwhile Puntland deputy police chief Mohamed Said Jaqanaf said a further six suspected pirates were handed over to the authorities of the breakaway region on Saturday.
Source: AFP