Mumbai: Convicted Somalian Pirates Seek Transfer To Somalia To Serve Life Sentence
· Free Press Journal
Mumbai, July 29, 2026: Convicted to life imprisonment, the 44 Somali pirates now want to return to their country and serve their sentences in prison there. Through their lawyers, the convicts have written to the authorities of both countries seeking permission to return.
Pirates Convicted In 2024 Hijacking Cases
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A group of 44 pirates was apprehended by the Indian Navy in two separate operations undertaken in March 2024 after they hijacked two vessels — MV Ex-Ruen and FV Al-Kambar 786. The Navy apprehended all 44 pirates and rescued 17 and 23 crew members, respectively.
The sessions court, on July 20, convicted the 44 Somali pirates apprehended by the Indian Navy in 2024 and sentenced them to life imprisonment for offences under the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, holding that piracy constituted an act of terrorism.
The pirates had pleaded guilty earlier this month, stating that they were facing severe hardship in prison owing to differences in language, culture, diet, and lifestyle, as well as the absence of family or friends to help or guide them. The court accepted their plea and convicted them.
Request To Serve Sentence In Somalia
Soon after the court's verdict, the lawyers for the pirates, Samyak Gimekar, Chief of the Mumbai Legal Aid Defence Counsel System (LADCS), and Sumit Kokate, wrote to the authorities seeking "the transfer of Somali nationals to the Federal Republic of Somalia in accordance with the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons."
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Mumbai Sessions Court Sentences 44 Somalian Pirates To Life In First Conviction Under Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, Calls Piracy An Act Of Terrorism"The object of the agreement is to promote the social rehabilitation of sentenced persons by enabling them to serve their sentences in their country of nationality. The transfer of the aforesaid convicts would enable them to remain closer to their families, maintain family ties, and facilitate their social and psychological rehabilitation while serving the remaining period of their sentence in Somalia," the letter states.
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