The trial of Albanian seamen in Yemen
30/01/2013 00:00
Linda Rama: Between Family, Work and Albania’s Future 18/08 14:30
The three Albanian seamen will appear in a Yemeni court this Wednesday,
together with one Greek citizen and two Indian citizens who were caught
in a ship loaded with guns.
The defendants are staying in the prisons of Al Mukalla for 40 days. The EOS ship, with a Maldivian flag and owned by a Greek citizen, was caught by the Jemeni Police. The ship started its journey from the Bari Port, in Montenegro, on July 17th 2012. It was carrying 180 tons of explosive and artillery ammunition.
Two days ago the seamen appeared to the Hadramau Court, Yemen. The seamen are Captain Arif Bakillari, first officer Mihal Cangonji and the Chief Mechanic, Nezir Shehaj. On board there were a Greek and two Indian citizens. They stopped in Al Mukalla to fill their ship with fuel and were arrested three days later. The Yemeni say that the ship lost its course and wandered in the sea for five months, before arriving in Yemen.
They have contradictory declarations about the ship load and the destination. The seamen have denied that they have violated the local and international laws.
The chief Prosecutor of President Saleh verified the cargo, and he appears in photos with the judge, the police and some of the defendants.
The Court will gather again this Wednesday for a hearing session, while the ammunition will be seized. Captain Arif Bakillari declared on a phone conversation that the load was being sent to the Um Kasri port, Iraq.
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