Published: May 19, 2011
16 Iranian Piracy Survivors Arrive in Kenya
By ecop-marine
Seafarers all right, but exhausted; vessel blown out of the water by the Danes
Sixteen Iranian seafarers and fishermen from Iranian flagged FV ALIA have arrived this evening, 17. May 2011, in Kenya's capital Nairobi by bus from the coastal town of Mombasa to where they had been brought by Danish warship ESBERN SNARE. The Danish navy had handed them over earlier this morning to an official from the Nairobi embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kenyan authorities were helpful to facilitate their transit to Nairobi from where they will fly home after medical examinations.
The crew had been sea-jacked six month ago but only recently the naval forces became aware and termed the vessel "JELBUT 24" while tracking it.
In the morning of last Thursday, 12. May 2011, the Danish warship ESBERN SNARE then attacked the boat.
All of the 16 Iranian hostages on board were freed unharmed, while four Somalis were killed, ten wounded and all together 24 Somalis arrested. The Danish navy delayed their public report for three days until15. May 2011 and only on 16. May 2011 stated that the Iranian fishing vessel was sunk by the ESBERN SNARE "as it was damaged beyond repair after the firefight".
Already earlier human rights group ECOTERRA Intl. had publicly reprimanded the delays and the missing transparency in the naval reports.
Only now it also transpired that FV ALIA had been listed as FV NN IRAN (Reg: 4/3916) after vessel and crew had been seized on December 11, 2010. The Iranian fishing vessel with the Registration Number 4/3916 and her previously unknown number of crew was seized by Somali pirates together with a second Iranian fishing vessel.
"We gave the Iranians some comforts and after a little while they had the chance to call home to their relatives," Anders Friis, captain of the Esbern Snare, told public broadcaster DR. According to Friis, the 16 fishermen had been held as slaves since being captured six months ago. They were in good condition, but shaken by the experience, he said.
The ten wounded Somalis were reportedly treated on board of the naval vessel, while the Danish navy again (see previous case in the status section below conc. the Iranian vessels) just dumped the bodies of the four killed Somalis into the sea, without having made contact with Somalia, the Somali authorities or the families.
According to a naval statement issued by the Danish Government the four dead pirates "were buried at sea according to NATO procedure and Muslim tradition".
NATO did not confirm that such a NATO's procedure would exist.
Already several lawmakers in Mogadishu have openly protested and stated that just dumping the bodies of killed Somalis to the sharks is neither Muslim nor Somali tradition. They demanded that all those Somalis killed by the navies on the waters must be brought back to Somalia for the purpose of proper investigations and not at least a decent and appropriate burial.
In Nairobi, Somali member of parliament Hon. Awad Ahmed Ashareh expressed dismay about the case and announced an official demarche for tomorrow followed by a full investigation. He already stated that the disposal of the killed Somalis on the sea is unacceptable and accused the Danes to have violated International and national law in their numerous attacks, of which many happened directly at the Somali coast.
Danish authorities consider criminal proceedings against the arrested 24 Somalis, the Danish ministry reported.
The 24 captured Somalis - including the ten wounded - are still held on board the warship, which has only limited medical facilities, at Mombasa harbour. They await extradition as the Danish authorities are preparing their reports on the capture, Danish media reported.
The Danish warship ESBERN SNARE under the command of captain Anders Friis is an Absalon class vessel based on a frigate-type design, but built up more like a missile destroyer with an internal multi-purpose deck (flex deck) and a stern vehicle ramp. The ships can serve as command platforms for a staff of 75 persons (naval or joint staff) with a containerized command and control centre, transport and base of operations for a company-sized landing force of some 200 men with vehicles.
The Danish naval forces on ESBERN SNARE were also involved in botched and disastrous attack on pirated MV BELUGA NOMINATION earlier in the year. The fatal incident was first provoked by a Seychelles coastguard vessel and caused the death of three crew members as well as two Somalis.
Ten more Iranian survivors of an earlier attack launched by this Danish warship against another pirated Iranian-flagged fishing vessel on 20th April 2011 will hopefully also arrive in Nairobi tomorrow, since they have now proper identification are now ready to be flown out from Galkayo, where they had been cared for by the authorities of the newly founded Federal Somali state of Galmudug. One of the crew members was wounded in the operation of the Danish naval forces directly at the shores of Somalia, which also destroyed that vessel completely with a return-attack the next day after pirates and hostages had fled. At least four - some reports speak of 5 or 6 - Somalis were killed in that attack.
Four Pakistani of that crew had already been flown out and have been repatriated. While the owner had earlier stated that the crew would comprise of 15 sailors only fourteen are accounted for. The Pakistani crew, however, stated that no sailor was missing, but would not elaborate on the discrepancy.
Analysts fear that the actions of the Danish navy at the Somali coasts also can have serious repercussions for the nine Danish citizens, which still are held hostage in Somalia. Two sailors were captured from a Danish weapons-transporter and a Danish family with three children and two staff kidnapped from their sailing yacht.
©2011 - ecoterra / ecop-marine
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