20100727
africanews

Eleven Somali pirates have been given 10 years each in jail in the island nation of Seychelles, the presidency said on Monday. The pirates were sentenced on charges for attempting to hijack a coastguard vessel last December.

Eight of the convicted men were found in the act while the other three were sentenced for assisting in piracy. Four of them were younger than 18 years old.

According to a statement from the presidency, the men were trying to seize the Topaz patrol boat.

"Their conviction is a historical milestone as it is the first time that a piracy trial is successfully prosecuted in the Seychelles," the statement read.

Another 29 Somali men are awaiting trial. However, it was the first time a Seychelles court sentenced pirates to jail.

Seychelles built a special court for pirates following a series of hijackings in the Indian Ocean, near Seychellian waters. Kenya and Seychelles are the only African nations prosecuting pirates in the Horn of Africa nation.