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This is from the U.S. Naval Institute. Apparently, a private security contractor aboard a merchant ship yesterday killed a Somali pirate in the act of raiding. The blogger mentions that there is to be an investigation of the killing, but there is confusion re who has jurisdiction as international law hasn't settled that yet.

What I'd like to know is why all this is necessary to begin with. A pirate, by definition an outlaw, is not typically going to allow witnesses to survive to testify in a trial (assuming, that is, that said pirate is actually caught and bound over for trial). This is clearly self-defense. Perhaps the jurisdiction thing should be cleared up in case someone gets the crazy idea to unilaterally stage a pre-emptive strike on the pirates' base of operations. But that's not what happened here. What's the big deal?

Comments?

This is the definition of piracy according to United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea:

any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed:

(i) on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft;

http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_ ... osindx.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sounds to me like the hired guns by the shipping company committed acts of violence by private ends by passengers or crew on the ship. They're pirates fighting pirates.

And, I don't think this is some crazy definition of piracy... pirates were originally a private mercenary navy to raid enemies shipping.

I hope Capt Ahab shows up to shed some light on the situation.

That's an interesting take, jelly. I'm not sure it holds up to the standard definition of self-defense, but there's enough to it that it just might fly.

Skjellyfetti wrote:This is the definition of piracy according to United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea:

any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed:

(i) on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft;

http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_ ... osindx.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sounds to me like the hired guns by the shipping company committed acts of violence by private ends by passengers or crew on the ship. They're pirates fighting pirates.

And, I don't think this is some crazy definition of piracy... pirates were originally a private mercenary navy to raid enemies shipping.

Your absurd brand of moral equivalency is why we are fvcked as a nation.

Skjellyfetti wrote:This is the definition of piracy according to United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea:

any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed:

(i) on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft;

http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_ ... osindx.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sounds to me like the hired guns by the shipping company committed acts of violence by private ends by passengers or crew on the ship. They're pirates fighting pirates.

And, I don't think this is some crazy definition of piracy... pirates were originally a private mercenary navy to raid enemies shipping.

Historically, "pirates" existed long before "privateers."