Russian sailors sent Somali pirates to their deaths at sea

[Ian David]

A group of Somali pirates captured by the Russian navy in the Gulf of Aden and then set free in a boat are most probably dead after failing to reach the shore, a Russian defence source said Tuesday.

The 10 pirates were captured last week after seizing a Russian oil tanker but were then unexpectedly released, with Russian officials saying there was insufficient legal basis to keep them in detention.

"According to the latest information, the pirates who seized the Moscow University oil tanker failed to reach the shore. Evidently, they have all died," the high-ranking source was quoted as saying by all Russia's official news agencies.

The source said that radio signals from the boat stopped just one hour after it had been set free by the Russian navy. No details were given over the manner in which they could have lost their lives.

Reports have said that after their release the Russian navy put the pirates in a boat some 300 nautical miles offshore, removing all weaponry and navigational equipment from the vessel.

More:
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2Tg1ch/rawstory.com/rs/2010/0511/russian-sailors-somali-pirates-deaths-sea//r:t

[maxsolomon]

1. deterrence? only works if the other pirates know about it.

message: don't fuck with Russian oil.

[Luminous Animal]

22. Yes, the death sentence works great!

That is why we have no more murderers in the U.S.

[Statistical]

28. Pirates tend to be criminals of opertuninty. Murderers not so much.

Most murder victims know their killer.

Pirates on the other hand .... maybe next time they skip the Russian tanker and hit the (insert nation) tanker instead. Both got money and one would don't catch a bad case of dead.

[maxsolomon]

69. and this was my point

not that the somalis DESERVED to die for piracy.

the russians made their point. the EU and US would never do this because of the scandal it would create - we're more "civilized" (and prefer a drone attack on the pirate's compound where children will die).

[Dorian Gray]

66. No kidding...

damn. Those Russians mean business.

[Rick Myers]

2. oops...

Guess they shouldn't be pirating merchant shipping... The Russians didn't kill them...

[TheCowsCameHome]

3. Evidently it's a risky profession.

Some days you win, some days you lose......

[stray cat]

4. if someone breaks into my house and threatens my family - I won't be nice either

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

5. probably just before they were

strafed by their air force... who cares?

[TwilightGardener]

6. That's a pretty effective method of dealing with them.

I'm sure the pirates had some time to think about their choices.

[Marr]

7. At least they got a boat.

If I recall correctly, the whole idea of "walking the plank" came from a similar idea. Pirates in the Mediterranean used to ask if there were any Roman citizens aboard, and offer to let them depart peacefully. If anyone stood up, the boarding plank was extended and they were invited to leave.

This seems pretty similar.

[Diclotican]

64. Marr

Marr

And if I am not to stupid with my history, the pirates of the meditarian was in the end hunted down, to their main bases, qounquered, and then punished mostly harsly for their crimes.. Even Cæsar, who in his young ages was kidnaped by a gang of pirates, promised that if he was freed, he should hunt them down, and kill them all.. He keept his word, as he was freed mostly becouse he treated them as his slaves, comanding them around to do his bidding... And after he was freed, he was after them before long, hunted them down, and crusifixed all of them... At least Cæsar got the message out - dont F***** With a cæsar

And from 250-230BC, to out in the 400 AD the meditarian was a safe place to be, if you was an roman, or parts of the roman empire...

Later on, as the europeans was traveling to other shores, the same case happend there too.. Piracy was a part of a days work - as the government got a faster grip of their posessions around the word, the piracy was more and more a trouble, and the governemt was in the end had to stop the piracy, and it was waged more or less war between the pirates and the real governments.. Even tho the barrier between piracy and government sanctioned warfare was not easy to show all times

Diclotican

[Ex Lurker]

68. message deleted by author

[Xithras]

8. My guess would be that they never made it off the ship.

Not into a boat anyway. Beslan and the theater takeover have demonstrated to the world that Russian special forces tend to not take prisoners.

They either shot them and threw them overboard, or just threw them overboard without the bullet.

There's no way they just "let them go".

[The Straight Story]

9. In the US our pirates wear ties and work on wall street & we shower money on them when they mess up

Those pirates need to move here if they want to make any real money.

[Lasher]

10. Hey, where's all the pirate apologists?

Those folks are always so much fun!

[damntexdem]

11. Good. I was upset that they let them go.

But I guess they knew what they were doing.

[cliffordu]

12. Bummer.

[datasuspect]

13. don't fuck with russian sailors

i had the displeasure of drinking with several once, feats of strength abounded.

[Morning Dew]

33. Was there an airing of grievances?

Maybe they were celebrating Festivus.

[datasuspect]

70. no, just dropkicks to the chest, arm wrestling

punching, extinguishing cigarettes in places other than ashtrays and the like.

[Historic NY]

14. Yo, ho, ho, & no bottle of rum Its Davy Jones locker.

[Old Troop]

15. My heart bleeds. NT

[Old Troop]

16. My heart bleeds. NT

[woo me with science]

17. One of the hazards of being a pirate. nt

[Tailormyst]

18. That's the chance you take when you go pirating.

[RandomThoughts]

19. Well pirates have many meanings.

basically a pirate goes against a status quo system, and is considered illegal because of the laws of that system. However that has no moral statement until the justice of the system is determined.

It is the same as the smuggler, it is the Han Solo archetype.


If laws are just, pirates are bad, but if laws are wrong, then pirates are just if they refuse to follow some laws.

People that did the underground railroad were pirates, as were those that protected people during wars and occupations.

The principle of piracy has many meanings.


They are thought of as bad in many cases, but not for the right reason, just for following status quo thought. If the USA would have lost the Revolutionary war, most of the people fighting it at sea would have been called pirates.

So it depends on context.

[Historic NY]

25. The Rev War people were called privateers, they were operating with authorization..

of a governmental entity with "letters of Marque", that allowed them to escape the gallows as pirates.

[Gaedel]

65. Privateers and letters of marque and reprisal.....

are only valid if issued by a legitimate government. The status of the US as a legitimate government was in question during the American Revolution. War of 1812, there was no doubt as to the legitimacy of US privateers.

[Name removed]

51. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Luminous Animal]

20. The majority of the posts on this topic are despicable.

I DO NOT CONDONE PIRACY IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM. But condoning a death sentence without due process is anti-American. I'm seeing that a lot around here which, I think, is why we condone torture, rendition, indefinite detention, and the slaughter of innocents in Iraq, Pakistan, & Afghanistan.

We have lost our moral rudder.

[malaise]

23. +1,000

Too many of the planet's people have lost their moral rudder.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Luminous Animal]

26. KILL! KILL! KILL!

Pirates are the WORST THING EVER ON EARTH. They are SCUM. They are SUBHUMAN!!!

There is a woman who stole 1.67 million from a school district. K--I-I-I-I-I-L-L-L-L-L H-E-R-R-R-R-R-R!!!!!!!!!!



With love,

DOUCHEBAG.

[Chulanowa]

Oh no, someone on the internet thinks I'm a douchebag

How will I live?

[Luminous Animal]

53. Huh?

Malaise called me a douchebag. I'm thinking of signing all my posts with... Love, Douchebag.


Love,

Douchebag.

[timo]

27. due process???

what about the Navy seals that wacked the pirates who were holding the American captain hostage? were they anti American? was Obama anti american when he gave the go ahead to smoke those fools? just asking or was that due process enough for you then?

[datasuspect]

29. it's the law of the sea

pirates are fair game.

they break the unwritten codes of the ancient mariners which call upon sailors to aid their fellow seamen.

[cliffordu]

42. That's EXACTLY right.

[Toucano]

48. Bullshit!

We have a written code:

Namely, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Which Russia signed.

Which Russia ratified.

There is no provision for summary executions, which this in effect, was. They should have been arrested, tried, and jailed.

¨...unwritten codes of the ancient mariners¨ my ass!

Next you´ll be telling me that ¨the Bible says so!¨

[datasuspect]

71. these things go back to the ancient greeks

there have been seafarers a lot longer than the UN.

have you ever been out to sea?

lots of camaraderie out there among seamen.

[Toucano]

74. What a stupid response!

Here's the logic you demonstrate:

The ancient Egyptians had slaves, so slavery has been around a lot longer than Civil Rights.

Therefore, slavery is acceptable.

[hobbit709]

35. Russian ship, Russian Navy, their rules

[Toucano]

46. Maritime Law.

Are you really so ignorant?

There were not in Russian waters and Russia has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which, you may like to know, does not provide a vehicle for summary execution of pirates.

[hobbit709]

63. And we follow international law to the letter?

[Toucano]

75. What is that supposed to mean?

That response is weak as water.

Here's what you're suggesting:

We (I don't know who "we" is in your statement, but no matter) don't always follow international law to the letter so therefore, violations of international law are okay.

Your argument is weak because your position is wrong.

And you KNOW this.

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Toucano]

44. Thank you!

In their defense of their precious oil, many DUers appear to have ¨crossed over¨.

[Canuckistanian]

21. Russians don't fuck around

Nor do they worry about trivialities like "rules of engagement" or the "Geneva Accord" or "human rights" - at least when no-one's looking.

Not saying it's the right thing to do - just that they can get away with it without worrying too much about international or domestic opinion.

Is this really what civilized people aspire to?

[datasuspect]

30. navies never had much patience for piracy

justice can be very quick and brutal.

[flvegan]

31. DU cracks me up.

All the chest puffing bullshit in this thread is just fucking laughable.

Fucking hypocritical wanna be leftists. Due process is as dead here as it is at Gitmo.

[nofakinway]

37. Yeah, I'm sure they were innocent.

and had a perfectly good reason to hijack a Russian oil tanker with riffles and rpgs.

[flvegan]

41. Let me be the first to Welcome you to DU!

No idea what a "riffle" is but it's not about your base perception of innocence, chilly.

Like I said...

[nofakinway]

45. That would be called a typo - (rifle).

I guess more people would be happy if they were taken into custody, given a trial, and then sentenced.

Of course, this incident didn't happen in US territory and it was the Russians decision on how to deal with it. IIRC, the last pirate attempt to take a US ship didn't end well for them either.

[flvegan]

49. So due process isn't something you're big on, then?

Good to know.

[Toucano]

43. Exactly. There is no ¨left¨ left in the United States.

Wiretaps, rendition, death sentences administered at sea with no appeal or representation of the defense? Whatever you got!

Democrats in the U.S. value property over life, liberty and due process.

[flvegan]

47. Shhh.

Gotta be careful where you say that, friend.

[Toucano]

54. Every time they criticize the Bush crimes and the so-called right, I can just

hand them a mirror?


Little has disgusted and surprised me as much as the comments supporting the Russian crew in this thread.


Their "values" can be measured in dollars - obviously.

Seriously, I am beginning to suspect that their outrage at the Wall Street pirates is based on jealousy that they didn't think of it first.

[Blue_Tires]

32. i don't believe one word about the 'unexpected release'

the pirates were most likely shot (or worse)... but there needed to be romantic, semi-humane cover story for PR reasons...

[LisaL]

36. Supposedly there is a video of them being released.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

57. Don't hold your breath that it will be deterministic that they left safely

[lonestarnot]

58. Released from what, their bodies?

[liquid diamond]

34. Poor babies....not.

:nopity:

[Name removed]

50. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[proteus_lives]

38. Russians don't fuck around.

Never have, never will.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

56. True...there was that oops with "non lethal" gas in a theater incident as I recall as well

[proteus_lives]

59. It doesn't always work out for them.

But it has never stopped them from reacting the same way.

[inna]

72. what the fuck do you think you recall?

[pa28]

61. "Released at sea" would be getting off easy.

Sounds like an idiom for "dumped overboard".

[Chulanowa]

39. Kind of ironic

Given that Russia (or rather ,the Soviet Union) was a major player in creating the Somalia that we know and love today.

[Drunken Irishman]

52. I cry...

Not.

[Nailzberg]

55. Such a shame

pirates are such nice, friendly folks.

[krispos42]

60. I wonder if a Russian sub was in the area...

...or perhaps a helicopter or floatplane.

Tanker crew documents releasing the pirates in a boat. Boat vanishes over the horizon in the ship's wake. Then up pops a sub or down swoops an aircraft, the pirates are brought on board, the boat is sunk, and nobody knows anything.

[alphafemale]

62. Brutal. but

A bit more of this and the Somalia Piracy issue might be solved.

[WinkyDink]

67. Aren't Somali pirates in direct response to the ravaging of their country? WORTH READING:

http://afrosistance.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/somali-piracy-untold-stories-and-hidden-agendas/

"....the hordes of foreign trawlers and vessels from Europe and Asia that for the last 18 years have practiced illegal fishing and dumped toxic and nuclear waste in Somali waters.
The end of the Gen. Siyaad Berre regime in 1991 led to the collapse of the Somali Navy and Police Coastguard services. These services had previously patrolled and protected what is considered to be one of the richest fisheries zones in the world.

Illegal European and Asian trawlers took advantage of this situation, having depleted their own fishing stock, and began to fish the 3,300km-long Somali coast; a coastline populated by many fishing communities dependent on inshore fishing for their livelihoods. According to the High Seas Task Force there were over 800 illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing vessels in Somali waters at one time in 2005 (see HSTF document ‘Review of Impacts of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing on Developing Countries’), and such vessels poach an estimated $450 million in seafood annually....

Who was concerned with the law when foreign trawlers and vessels were recklessly and illegally poaching fish and dumping waste in Somali waters?"

[proteus_lives]

73. So the fishermen of the Gulf Coast should start attacking cruise ships?

:eyes:

[Nailzberg]

76. Yes, and that totally makes hijacking and holding cargo ships for ransom okay.

Makes me proud that USN SEALS snipers can take em out with head shots from the deck of a ship in the rocking and rolling of the ocean, but gotta admire how the Russians saved bullets dealing with these dirtbags.

[jberryhill]

77. Lol, yeah... That's why they are buying up commercial real estate in Nairobi

Somali pirates, flush with ransom cash, have outpriced Kenyans in the Nairrobi commercial real estate market. They buy entire blocks at a time there.