Tanit Pirates Sentenced

Last Friday, three of five Somali pirates who seized the French yacht Tanit in 2009 were sentenced in a French court to nine years in prison. The pirates boarded the 47-ft Colin Archer design — which was carrying two couples and a three-year-old boy — on April 4, about 500 miles off the Somali coast. The French Navy steadfastly refused to negotiate with the pirates and, on April 10, French commandos stormed the boat, killing two pirates and Tanit‘s skipper, 28-year-old Florent Lemacon. 

Lawyers for the pirates asked the court for leniency, claiming that the men, aged 26 to 31, had been suffering extreme poverty and were coerced into becoming pirates. Prosecutors rejected the claims, saying they’d been motivated by easy money instead.

A spokesman for Chloe Lemacon, Florent’s widow, says that the family is not looking for vengeance, but believes the pirates should be held responsible for their actions. He also said that "French state leaders decided to teach the piracy masterminds on the continent a lesson. I believe that Florent Lemacon died for reasons of national interest. This operation was meant as a powerful signal to the Somalis, while the hostages were put on a backburner."

At the same time as the Tanit attack, pirates captured the U.S.-flagged container ship Maersk Alabama. Captain Richard Phillips successfully negotiated his crew’s release by sacrificing his own freedom, and later was rescued by Navy SEALs. His story is told in the newly released film Captain Phillips, starring Tom Hanks in the titular role.