HARGEISA, Somalia - A new maximum-security prison opened in northern Somalia on Tuesday, raising hopes that it can help relieve the burden on other nations affected by piracy that are reluctant to imprison pirates.
Most suspected pirates captured by international warships are released because other nations don't want to jail them, and most Somali prisons and courts are not up to international standards. Navies - who nickname the problem "catch-and-release" - say it's one reason pirates continue to threaten one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
There have been notable exceptions: A U.S. court this month sentenced five men convicted of piracy to life in prison. A U.S. court is also trying 13 Somalis and a man from Yemen over a February hijacking of a yacht that left four Americans dead.
As piracy has flourished and turned increasingly violent, an unprecedented 17 countries are prosecuting pirates. Still, Somali jails have borne most of the burden. Officials in the region of Puntland have had to release low-level criminals to make room for pirates in the overcrowded jail in the port city of Bosasso.
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The U.N. paid for the $1.5 million refurbishment of Hargeisa prison, which can receive international transfers of prisoners..
