UNITED NATIONS, April 28 (UPI) -- The U.N. Security Council has suggested using international tribunals to hear piracy cases while urging tougher measures to deal with the bandits.
The 15-member panel unanimously adopted a resolution Tuesday, appealing to countries to "criminalize piracy under their domestic law and favorably consider the prosecution of suspected, and imprisonment of convicted, pirates apprehended off the coast of Somalia, consistent with applicable international human rights law," the United Nations said on its Web site.
The Security Council also directed U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to prepare a report on possible options for prosecuting and imprisoning suspects of piracy and armed robbery in the Horn of Africa. The council asked Ban to present his findings in three months.
In its resolution, the Security Council recognized work by U.N. agencies and other international organizations "to enhance the capacity of the judicial and the corrections systems in Somalia, Kenya, Seychelles and other states in the region" affected by piracy. Council members also noted the role the European Union, NATO and other partners play in bringing suspected pirates to justice.
