Photos taken by commandos showed pirates armed with rifles dragging crew onto the deck
South Korean sailors whose ship was hijacked in the Arabian Sea told a court on Tuesday that Somali pirates had used them as human shields to try to thwart a commando rescue mission.
Pirates seized the chemical carrier Samho Jewelry on January 15, and held it until South Korean naval commandos stormed the ship six days later.
Eight pirates were killed while five were arrested and flown to the southern port of Busan to stand trial on charges of maritime robbery, attempted murder and ship hijacking.
The charges are punishable by life imprisonment.
“The pirates took us out from the cabin and used us as human shields,” chief officer Kim Doo-Chan testified on the second day of the trial in Busan.
Kim, 61, said he lost eight teeth after being attacked by his captors and still suffers from trauma.
“I still receive mental treatment because I cannot sleep well… I want them to receive the death penalty,” he said, according to reports by Yonhap news agency and the Munhwa afternoon newspaper.
Prosecutors presented photos taken by commandos that showed pirates armed with rifles dragging crew members up onto the deck.
All 21 crew were rescued but Captain Seok Hae-Kyun, 58, was shot several times and remains in hospital after multiple operations.
Seok was hailed as a hero for his attempts to slow down his ship after it was hijacked.
Prosecutors said a pirate identified as Araye Mahomed shot the captain when commandos launched their raid, although Seok was also hit once by crossfire from the South Koreans.
The investigators said the bullet that seriously injured Seok matched Araye’s gun. The suspect has denied shooting the captain.
“I can clearly remember Araye’s face as he was always wearing a T-shirt he had taken from one of the crew,” Kim said, adding the pirates had threatened to kill the crew following a first unsuccessful commando raid on January 18.
After the commandos boarded the ship on January 21, Kim said he and other crewmen were lying face-down on the ship’s bridge.
He said Araye, who was carrying a rifle, lifted his head up to check his identity and then pushed him aside.
Kim said Araye then saw Captain Seok. He heard four or five rounds being fired at point-blank range but did not actually see the shooting.
“I was so scared and I was keeping my head down. I was unable to see Araye shooting the skipper but I am certain it was Araye who did so,” Kim said.
The trial marks the first attempt by South Korea, a major seafaring nation, to punish foreign pirates. Proceedings in the tightly-guarded courtroom were tortuous, with evidence translated from Korean to English to Somali.
Four pirates are on trial and a verdict is scheduled for Friday. A fifth man who pleaded guilty will be sentenced on June 1.
Source: AFP