Estonian MEPs ask Mogherini's help to bring ship guards home from India

Photo: Tairo Lutter

Estonian members of the European Parliament have put an inquiry concerning the Estonian and British anti-piracy personnel embroiled in legal battles in India to the European Union's foreign policy chief.

The inquiry to High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini was submitted by MEP Urmas Paet and signed by other Estonian members of the European Parliament.

The deputies ask what the EU External Action Service can do to speed up the return of the Estonian and British citizens from India. They also request the assistance of the EU foreign policy chief and foreign service to raise the issue with Indian authorities.

Paet said that Estonia has in communication with Indian authorities persistently sought permission for the Estonian citizens to return home but unfortunately to no avail so far. «This case has lasted too long and both the citizens of Estonia and the United Kingdom and their loved ones are suffering. The persons are experiencing both financial and health problems, not to mention emotional strain. We wish that the EU too would raise this issue at meetings with Indian officials,» he said.

In his words, the ongoing appeal proceedings in India's supreme court do not involve proceedings for which the ship guards would have to be kept in India. «On humanitarian considerations the men could and should be allowed to return home. This case has been going on for longer than one year and the Tamil Nadu high court acquitted the men already in July,» he added.

Estonian members of the previous lineup of the European Parliament also turned in mid-January to the then EU foreign affairs representative, Catherine Ashton, for help, drawing her attention to the inhuman conditions in which the detained maritime security personnel were held and emphasizing the need to guarantee the ship guards a prompt and fair trial.

The police of India's southernmost state of Tamil Nadu arrested the 10-strong crew and 25 armed ship guards including 14 Estonian nationals on board the anti-piracy vessel Seaman Guard Ohio of the U.S.-based maritime security company AdvanFort on Oct. 18, 2013. They were charged with illegal refueling, illegal handling of firearms and illegal entry into India's territorial waters in December and released on bail in April. The charges were initially dismissed in the summer. The case moved from the Tuticorin magistrates court to the state's high court in Madurai at the end of August.