Legal Commentary

Young Somali Pirate Pleads Not Guilty, Outlines Defense

By Jeralyn

Abduwali Muse, the young, 5'2" Somali pirate, was indicted by a federal grand jury this week. The charges include piracy and violence against maritime navigation. (Indictment available here (pdf.) Bloomberg reports that if convicted, he faces mandatory life in prison. Today, he pleaded not guilty.

Mr. Muse is not faring well at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Manhattan. He's being held in isolation and his lawyers have asked for medical aid. They say he's only been allowed a one minute phone call to his mother in Somalia. He requires surgery on his hand and has another undisclosed medical condition. According to one of his lawyers: [More...]

“He’s isolated, he’s terrified, a boy who fishes and now he’s ended up in solitary confinement,” Deirdre von Dornum, another lawyer who is representing Muse, said outside court. “It’s a truly terrifying situation and he’s having a truly difficult time.”

Another of his lawyers outlined his defense outside of court.

Fiona Doherty, another Muse lawyer, told reporters after court that their client “will be exonerated,” adding, “Our client was only trying to find a peaceful resolution,” to the incident. “He was trying to negotiate for the safety of Captain Phillips.”

His lawyers told the court at his first appearance Muse is only 15. The Court ordered him tried as an adult.

Our prior coverage of the case and the Somali pirate hijacking of Captain Phillips and his ship is available here.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on May 21, 2009 (boomark / email).