Prosecuting pirates is too difficult

NATO ship captures, disarms, then releases pirates:

The pirates cannot be prosecuted under Canadian law because they did not attack Canadian citizens or interests and the crime was not committed on Canadian territory.

"When a ship is part of NATO, the detention of person is a matter for the national authorities," Fernandes said. "It stops being a NATO issue and starts being a national issue."

The pirates' release underscores the difficulties navies have in fighting rampant piracy off the coast of lawless Somalia. Most of the time foreign navies simply disarm and release the pirates they catch because of legal complications and logistical difficulties in transporting pirates and witnesses to court.

We need to streamline this process. There has to be a reasonable middle ground between releasing pirates without trial on the one hand and summary execution as in the days of old. (such executions are now illegal under international and most domestic laws.)

Update: TMV waxes sarcastic