Press Conference - Photos

A few photos from the press conference held outside the court building on August 15...

Just returned from Kenia, the theatre group 'Geheimagentur' announce their play 'PARLEZ! Echte Piraten' which will be performed from August 24 to 26 in Kampnagel Theatre.

Abdul Mohamud Qalimow

"What should I answer - I don't understand"

Court is taking a break over summer. The trial will resume on August 15.

At the last hearing on 15 July, the lawyer for the youngest accused filed an application for the stay of proceedings, which several of the other lawyers joined. The basis is that the accused were held for several days in captivity before being presented before a judge. According to both Dutch and German laws, when a person is arrested, they must appear before a judge within 48 hours. This was clearly not the case, as the accused were held and interviewed on the Dutch frigate Tromp for several days. The decision on this is reserved.

Piracy Trial out in the open - two speeches

Two of the speeches held at the press conference outside the Hamburg Criminal Justice Building on July 15.


Speech by Abdulahi Mohamud Qalimow

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The ongoing state of war in Somalia; the hunger, abject poverty and injustice are strong forces that over the decades have torn the country apart. Today, the recruitment of children by Warlord gangs, Klans and Pirates is part of everyday life. These groups polarise the country for their own interests and have no scruples. Somalia is a country in ruins, a country in which millions of civilians suffer under the ravages of war.

A War Without Declaration

EU-NAVFOR (European Navy Forces) - 'Mission Atalanta': A War Without Declaration

The defendants in the so-called 'Pirate Trial' were, on 5th April 2010, attacked on the German containership Taipan by a Dutch warship, the Tromp. Heavy weapons were used and the defendants were held captive for a week on board thr Tromp as they were transported to Mogadischu. During this time highly questionable interrogations, described later as just harmless 'conversations', took place. The person who conducted the interrogations later admitted to being an officer of the Dutch Naval Intelligence. And the former captain of the Tromp received a medal for his 'special services to the navy'.

"Piracy Trial" out in the open: a Somali expert gives evidence

Press Invitation for a public hearing of an expert from Somalia

Friday, 15 July 2011, 12:15 pm outside the Hamburg Criminal Justice Building (Sievekingplatz) with Political Scientist Abdulahi Mohamud Qalimow

So far, the court has made no effort whatsoever to hear expert witnesses from the Somali region. In order for at least the public to be informed and to give an expert from Somalia the opportunity to speak, a number of groups are having a public hearing outside the court building. These groups include No-One Is Illegal, Third World Harbour Group and the One World Network Hamburg, who have been closely watching the trial against the ten Somali.

Political Scientist and project manager Abdulahi Mohamud Qalimow now lives in Zurich. Before he fled Somalia in the mid 90s he started a school project in the south of the country, which he still looks after. He maintains many contacts with Somalia and Kenya, as well as with the Somali diaspora in Europe. Qalimow is a director of the Organisation for Social Welfare and Rural Development in Somalia (SOWRDO) and of the Somali Society in Switzerland. On July, 15 he will be answering questions regarding the situation in Somalia as well as the trial. This will – at least outside the court – contrast the Euro-centric viewpoint of the witnesses that have been heard in court with the statements of an expert from Somalia.

Since November 2010, the so-called piracy trial has been taking place in Hamburg: ten Somali men – three of them under age – are accused of having attacked the container vessel MV Taipan in April 2010. The ship is owned by Hamburg company. During 38 trial dates so far, the accused had to listen to seven white European expert witnesses.

Three forensic experts think that they can determine the age of the accused with dubious and humiliating methods. The birth certificates and school records of the accused do not count in a German court. The European “experts”, who have given evidence on the social and economic situation in Somalia leave many questions unanswered. With their half-knowledge obtained from the internet or without citing their sources altogether, these so-called experts evaluate the the social conditions in Somalia and play their part in deciding how the alleged crimes will be judged.

The choice of expert witnesses demonstrates the continuation of colonial practices and attitudes in a frightening way. Other practices, like the fact that the juvenile accused have been remanded in prison for over a year, also shows the double standards of the court. Were the accused German, they would have been released a long time ago.

Germany's imperial tradition is also continued in the involvement, together with other European nations, in the ATALANTA mission, which protects trade ships with military means. While those responsible for the plunder of Somali fishing grounds and the dumping of toxic waste there go unpunished, ten impoverished Somali men are being trialled. Under the UN Maritime Convention, all three activities are illegal – but only one of them is being prosecuted.

Thursday 14.07.2011, 6 pm Harbour Cruise : Pirates?

18.00 Uhr Anleger Vorsetzen (U Baumwall)
What has piracy to do with the international fish theft off Somalia’s coast? Who is using Somalia’s waterways as a rubbish dump?  What is the story about the weapons on the hijacked “MS Faina”? Who are these young men from Somalia? What does “safety” mean in the Gulf of Aden? The criminal trial before the Landesgericht Hamburg is all about legal matters. In cooperation with the Hamburg group kein mensch ist illegal our harbour round trip will shed light on the political background.

Exhibition and Films on the Postcolonial History in Hamburg 21.6-14.7.11

POST-COLONIAL METROPOLIS HAMBURG

ON THE TRAIL OF (NEO)COLONIAL REALITIES

EXHIBITION 21 JUNE -14 JULY 2011

HAMBURG UNIVERSITY

PFERDESTALL FOYER, ALLENDE-PLATZ 1

The metropolis Hamburg presents itself with charm and open to the world. This image is contradicted by the city’s colonial and racist past, as well as its post-colonial present.  Exploitation,  structural hierarchies and racism are closely connected with our colonial past. The structures of society , the use of language  or the topographies of a city are not  coincidental!

In the exhibition historical developments will be linked with our present-day reality. We will be searching for traces of (neo)colonialism in Hamburg, as well as in our own constructions of identity.

The trial so far

What happened so far

Since November 22, 2010 ten Somali men have been standing trial in Hamburg. They are charged with having hijacked the freighter “MV Taipan” in the Indian Ocean and demanding ransom over Easter 2010.

The Taipan was sailing under German flag and the men were captured by a special unit of the Dutch navy – although no one has been able to tell the court of who actually ordered them to do so. The ten men were chained to the railing on the Dutch frigate “Tromp” for several days and interrogated – voluntary statements, according to the Dutch crew. The commander of the Tromp insists that they didn't arrest the men, they merely 'found' them on board the Taipan – which raises the question of how they ended up in a court if they were never arrested.

Sunday 22 May 2011 - Solidarity Party in the Park

About 100 people gathered this afternoon in the park outside the Hamburg remand prison to show solidarity with the Somali men who are incarcerated there. The peoples' kitchen provided food and drink, music was provided and speakers from different groups spoke about the trial and the prison in general. Also, several people wrote postcards to the prisoners.

Summary of the 18 May 2011 court date

Prof Matthies, the German Somalia "expert" was on the stand again and questioned by the defence. To start with, the judge declines an application by the defence to have some additional info which was introduced by Matthies translated into Somali. The reason being that the language of teh court is German. Later on, Somali is spoken in court because the microphones and headphones fail.

Matthies revises some fo his statements from last time and admits that anyone growing up in Somalia would like be traumatised. The questions by the defence prompt him to give a more complete picture of Somalia than his origianl account. When asked for a historic parallel of the situation in Somalia, Matthies mentions the 30-year war. He says that piracy is partially in the hand of the clans and that press gangs might be operating from Kenia.

The defence applies to hear the mother and sister of the accused whose brother was killed – decision reserved.

There had been a request by the court to the Dutch prosecution to provide the videos of the interrogations on the Tromp was declined because it would put the Dutch officers at risk.

And finally the application for bail for one of the younger accused was declined due to flight risk.