Pirates in Paradise

A new publication available online examines the effects and requirements of maritime security governance, when the small island developing state of Seychelles took the lead in the recent international fight against Somali piracy in the Indian Ocean. The article Towards Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean: The case of Seychelles by Jessica Larsen examines Seychelles’ role in counter-piracy and describes the hitherto unique Prosecution Model that was set up in the Seychelles in order for the international crime of piracy to be tried in their domestic courts.

The article highlights the results of the Seychelles’ participation in counter-piracy and points to some of the learning outcomes and challenges ahead for addressing maritime crime. These include:

• Securing a more sustainable financing mechanism to deal with piracy prosecution and incarceration than the current ad hoc donor payments
• Ensuring the principle of legality when trying foreign suspects in overseas domestic courts
• Reviewing the constitutional and human rights implications of the current prosecution model
• Promoting a more equitable transnational law enforcement set-up that distributes responsibility internationally and does not rely on willing and sometimes less resourced countries for punching above their weight

As other maritime security issues are one the rise, such as arms smuggling and the recent disasters of human trafficking, the prosecution model practiced in Seychelles might find international application in relation to other maritime crimes than piracy. The article lays the first stones in the foundation of evaluating what governance issues and requirements the applicable transnational law enforcement mechanism holds.