Q&A: What do you do with a captured pirate?

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Opening of a trial in Hamburg of 10 suspected Somali pirates (22 November 2010)
Image caption,

Under international law, sovereign nations have the right to seize and prosecute pirates

A number of Somali nationals have gone on trial in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, charged with committing piracy in the Indian Ocean.

The BBC News website examines the main issues surrounding their prosecution.

Why can't Somalia prosecute suspected pirates?

Shouldn't it therefore be the responsibility of the country whose navy apprehended the pirates?

So where have the suspected pirates been sent?

Why have countries other than Kenya been reluctant to prosecute?

What happens next?

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