MOGADISHU, April 12 (Xinhua) -- A court in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland, northeastern Somalia, Sunday sentenced 17 suspected pirates to three years in jail each after they were accused of involvement in piracy that is plaguing the Horn of Africa coast.

    The men were part of suspected pirates handed over by the French navy joining the international effort to patrol the Somali coast and the Gulf of Aden where piracy activities forced many countries to send warships to prevent the Somali pirates from hijacking ships on the important route.

    Lawyers for the suspects said their clients are fishermen who were mistakenly captured as pirates but the judge presiding over the trial said the men were caught red handed in piracy acts and have also confessed to their crimes.

    The semi-autonomous Somali state of Puntland is a hotbed for piracy in the Horn of Africa and a number of coastal towns, including the port town of Eyl, have become pirate strongholds where they own huge mansions and fancy cars, thanks to the hefty ransom payout from owners of the hijacked ships.

    Hundreds of suspected pirates are now being held in prisons in Bossaso, the commercial capital of the state. The inmates remain in prison for several months without trial and some have escaped in mysterious circumstances.

    Local authorities say they do not have necessary facilities to hold the inmates and try them properly because of lack of funds for prison guards, lawyers and judges.

    At least six ships were hijacked this month by Somali pirates. An American captain was held hostage by pirates before freed on Sunday after days of ordeal on the high seas. The pirates on Wednesday took a Danish-owned cargo ship Maersk Alabama with the crew of 21 Americans on board. Capt. Richard Phillips allowed himself to be taken hostage in exchange for the freedom of the 20 others.

    The Maersk Alabama docked at the port of Mombasa, Kenya on Saturday night.