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Tough Times for Somali Pirate in New York
allen griggs
Member Posts: 35,509 ✭✭✭✭
A Suspect in Somali Piracy Denies United States Charges
nytimes.com
By BENJAMIN WEISER
Published: May 21, 2009
A lawyer for the Somali teenager charged with piracy said on Thursday that his client has been held in virtual isolation since being brought to New York last month - put in solitary confinement, barred from calling his lawyers, and limited to a single one-minute phone conversation with his mother.
Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse after he was sent to New York.
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The teenager, Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse, has also been unable to communicate with others in the jail, the Metropolitan Correctional Center, because of a lack of interpreters, the lawyer, Philip L. Weinstein, said.
"It has an impact," Mr. Weinstein told a judge in Federal District Court in Manhattan, where Mr. Muse was arraigned on a 10-count federal indictment.
The charges include piracy and conspiracy to seize a ship by force and to take hostages; piracy carries a mandatory life term.
In contrast to the beaming smile Mr. Muse offered to cameras when he first arrived in New York, he appeared subdued and downtrodden in court.
Wearing a dark smock over an orange shirt, he kept his hands clasped in front of him and gazed downward as he responded to questions through an interpreter.
"How do you plead, sir?" Judge Loretta A. Preska asked.
"Not guilty," he said.
Mr. Muse is the only survivor from the group of four men who authorities say boarded an American-flagged cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama, off Somalia on April 8. The ship's captain, who had offered himself as a hostage, was later rescued in a daring Navy Seal operation, in which three of his captors were killed.
In court, Mr. Weinstein said Mr. Muse needs surgery on his left hand, where the authorities say he was stabbed during a struggle with the crew.
A prosecutor, Michael Farbiarz, said the government would work to remedy the problems. "There's no one here," he said, "who wants there to be any difficulty whatsoever with respect to the defendant's medical situation, or his ability to communicate freely or as frequently as he would like."
A federal Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman declined after the hearing to address Mr. Muse's case, but said generally that inmates "are provided the necessary and appropriate security for their specific needs."
Idd Beddel Mohamed, the deputy permanent representative to the Somali Mission to the United Nations, who attended the hearing, said "Over all, we have full confidence in the American legal system, and I think in due course justice will be served on both sides." He said that his government had confidence in the defense lawyers and sympathized with the hostages' families.
Prosecutors say Mr. Muse is over 18. His lawyers and father say that he is as young as 15, and should be treated as a juvenile. For now, he is being treated as an adult.
"He's confused. He's terrified," another lawyer, Deirdre von Dornum, said. "As you can imagine, he's a boy who fishes, and now he's ended up in solitary confinement here." She added, "He's having a very difficult time."
nytimes.com
By BENJAMIN WEISER
Published: May 21, 2009
A lawyer for the Somali teenager charged with piracy said on Thursday that his client has been held in virtual isolation since being brought to New York last month - put in solitary confinement, barred from calling his lawyers, and limited to a single one-minute phone conversation with his mother.
Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse after he was sent to New York.
Comment Post a Comment on City Room
The teenager, Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse, has also been unable to communicate with others in the jail, the Metropolitan Correctional Center, because of a lack of interpreters, the lawyer, Philip L. Weinstein, said.
"It has an impact," Mr. Weinstein told a judge in Federal District Court in Manhattan, where Mr. Muse was arraigned on a 10-count federal indictment.
The charges include piracy and conspiracy to seize a ship by force and to take hostages; piracy carries a mandatory life term.
In contrast to the beaming smile Mr. Muse offered to cameras when he first arrived in New York, he appeared subdued and downtrodden in court.
Wearing a dark smock over an orange shirt, he kept his hands clasped in front of him and gazed downward as he responded to questions through an interpreter.
"How do you plead, sir?" Judge Loretta A. Preska asked.
"Not guilty," he said.
Mr. Muse is the only survivor from the group of four men who authorities say boarded an American-flagged cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama, off Somalia on April 8. The ship's captain, who had offered himself as a hostage, was later rescued in a daring Navy Seal operation, in which three of his captors were killed.
In court, Mr. Weinstein said Mr. Muse needs surgery on his left hand, where the authorities say he was stabbed during a struggle with the crew.
A prosecutor, Michael Farbiarz, said the government would work to remedy the problems. "There's no one here," he said, "who wants there to be any difficulty whatsoever with respect to the defendant's medical situation, or his ability to communicate freely or as frequently as he would like."
A federal Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman declined after the hearing to address Mr. Muse's case, but said generally that inmates "are provided the necessary and appropriate security for their specific needs."
Idd Beddel Mohamed, the deputy permanent representative to the Somali Mission to the United Nations, who attended the hearing, said "Over all, we have full confidence in the American legal system, and I think in due course justice will be served on both sides." He said that his government had confidence in the defense lawyers and sympathized with the hostages' families.
Prosecutors say Mr. Muse is over 18. His lawyers and father say that he is as young as 15, and should be treated as a juvenile. For now, he is being treated as an adult.
"He's confused. He's terrified," another lawyer, Deirdre von Dornum, said. "As you can imagine, he's a boy who fishes, and now he's ended up in solitary confinement here." She added, "He's having a very difficult time."
Comments
He can't talk with the other inmates, since he doesn't speak English. He is lonely.
His hand hurts, because the guy he was holding an AK47 on stabbed him.
"He's confused. He's terrified. He's a boy who fishes," according to his lawyer.
Doesn't this story break your heart?
the meanie is going to get off light no matter what happens to him there.[:(!]
His body would be left up there for 24 hours, so that pictures could make it back to his pals in Somalia.
But, he is facing a tough time. He likely will be convicted of piracy, and will get a life sentence.
A life sentence in a Federal penitentiary is a tough lot in life.
He might be sent to Atlanta Federal Pen, a real hell hole, 103 years old. Very dangerous place.
More likely, he will be sent to Supermax in Florence Colorado.
The prisoners there are in underground cells, no windows, no contact with other prisoners.
Can you imagine spending the rest of your life, and never being able to look out a window, never seeing a tree, or a bird, or a dog, or the stars at night, and having no contact with humans, except for five minutes a day talking with prison guards?
They only let him talk to his Mom one time.
He can't talk with the other inmates, since he doesn't speak English. He is lonely.
His hand hurts, because the guy he was holding an AK47 on stabbed him.
"He's confused. He's terrified. He's a boy who fishes," according to his lawyer.
Doesn't this story break your heart?
No, but I am sorry he has been cheated out of regular beatings. I also noticed an error on the NY Times part. Piarcy is automatic death penealty, it is the one universal law of the world from centuries ago. The law is still on the books. The problem is some ahole thinks this dude deserves a trial. He should have been killed at sea. Just another way to waste tax payers money.
Yeah, I'm saying Obama gets a fudgie over those islamic terrorists.
"How do you plead, sir?" Judge Loretta A. Preska asked.
"Not guilty," he said.
Lets see how well that works out for him.
Looks like they took away his parrot and eye patch too. That would put any pirate in a foul mood. Hopefully he's on his way to a nice hook though. ARRRR!
[:D][:D][:D]
They only let him talk to his Mom one time.
He can't talk with the other inmates, since he doesn't speak English. He is lonely.
His hand hurts, because the guy he was holding an AK47 on stabbed him.
"He's confused. He's terrified. He's a boy who fishes," according to his lawyer.
Doesn't this story break your heart?
Yep, my heart pumps pizz for that fella.
Just give him a hook...
I think that anyone who believes that kid is just a little confused 16 year old boy needs a serious reality check. When I was on the ground in Mogadishu during Operation Restore Hope we all thought, "Oh these poor poor people..life is tough for them." that lasted for about a day and a half. We then saw how vicious and completely devoid of any human feeling these people really were. If you see a Somali that has lived to be 16 years old he has probably killed at least 10 or 12 people. These are tribal animals who literally thrive on bloodshed. I hope we learned from our earlier lessons there. If we go into that country again we must go in with the maximum amount of violence/firepower and the least amount of empathy that a human can muster. The Somalis DO understand violence and destruction. If you treat them as humans they see you as a weak stick worthy only of contempt. They held the Italian Army in complete contempt...but they were scared to the point of vacating their bowels by the French Foreign Legioneers. Within the limits of the ROE I had my guys behave like Legioneers anytime we were in close contact. I also really really liked the way the Pakistani Army dealt with the Somalis. The Paks shot first and then determined that there was no need for asking questions. I kept my guys in the Pakistani Army compound......the Paks loved all the machine guns a beachmaster team could bring to the table. My 21 guys had as many M-60's as 275 Pakistani Army guys. Quite the equalizer in the defense. Beach
he jumped ship and turned himself in a day or two before the Seals took out the others. Too bad the Seals did not get to shoot sooner.
What a fiasco this will become. He will never be rehabilitated. he should get the death penalty if found guilty, but somehow that will be stopped. Tragic mistake nit letting the Seals do thang thing earlier.
Go tend your pretty little girly garden "Little Miss Member Since January 2009". Did you manage to get your Midol and tampex for today? Hopefully our little Survivalist Poster Girl will have a better night than you did last night. And little girl don't doubt my military record. If you are not a little girly girl meet me at the Navy van during the National Matches in July and August at Camp Perry. we can then see whether your boyfriend's nose has effected your shooting. Make sure you get your boyfriend's permission to go. He might be upset that his little girl was going out on her own around real men.[:D][:D]Beach
PS Survivalist were you a member of the Nurse Corps during your service or did you get pregnant before you could serve? Beach
Survivalist....I can see from the picture of your boyfriend why you must be so excited by him.....he must satisfy even the most prurient of your little lady like desires.
Go tend your pretty little girly garden "Little Miss Member Since January 2009". Did you manage to get your Midol and tampex for today? Hopefully our little Survivalist Poster Girl will have a better night than you did last night. And little girl don't doubt my military record. If you are not a little girly girl meet me at the Navy van during the National Matches in July and August at Camp Perry. we can then see whether your boyfriend's nose has effected your shooting. Make sure you get your boyfriend's permission to go. He might be upset that his little girl was going out on her own around real men.[:D][:D]Beach
PS Survivalist were you a member of the Nurse Corps during your service or did you get pregnant before you could serve? Beach
I ever tell you about my safe, full of magnesium....well never mind[:D]
no free ride, ok give him a ride half way home them toss the fishing boy over the rail, let fishing boy swim the reat of the way.
Ya'all be nice to the poor boy. I say let him go, he is just a poor fishing boy. Give him a ride home on a nice navel ship. Oh you say
no free ride, ok give him a ride half way home them toss the fishing boy over the rail, let fishing boy swim the reat of the way.
Just waiting for the St Peter the Fisherman reference by the ACLU lawyers.
They only let him talk to his Mom one time.
He can't talk with the other inmates, since he doesn't speak English. He is lonely.
His hand hurts, because the guy he was holding an AK47 on stabbed him.
"He's confused. He's terrified. He's a boy who fishes," according to his lawyer.
Doesn't this story break your heart?
Yeah,I'm sheddin' a tear right now![:D]