The attorney for Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse, the youthful Somali pirate (of undetermined age) facing charges in New York City, has offhandedly raised the possibility of invoking the Geneva Conventions regarding the treatment of his client.

Here is what the 1958 Geneva Convention on the High Seas has to say about prosecuting pirates:

On the high seas, or in any other place outside the jurisdiction of any State, every State may seize a pirate ship or aircraft, or a ship taken by piracy and under the control of pirates, and arrest the persons and seize the property on board. The courts of the State which carried out the seizure may decide upon the penalties to be imposed, and may also determine the action to be taken with regard to the ships, aircraft or property, subject to the rights of third parties acting in good faith.