Also quoted in the memorandum was David Boslego, a retired US army colonel, who said the massacre was a grossly excessive use of force and grossly inappropriate for an entity whose only job was to provide personal protection to somebody in an armoured vehicle. By signing up, I agree to receive emails from The Intercept and to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Says Guards Killed 14 Iraqis Without Cause", "Blackwater guards lose bid to appeal charges in Iraqi civilian shooting case", "U.S. troops in Iraq will need immunity: U.S. chief", "Jurors' Note Hints at Conviction in Blackwater Case", "Former Blackwater Guards Convicted in Iraq Shooting", "Shock And Dismay After Trump Pardons Blackwater Guards Who Killed 14 Iraqi Civilians", "Trump Pardons Two Russia Inquiry Figures and Blackwater Guards", "Trump pardon of Blackwater Iraq contractors violates international law - UN", "Iraqi Inquiry Says Shooting Was Unprovoked", "Blackwater guards fired unprovoked: Iraq police evidence", "Pentagon Dispatches Investigators to Iraq to Probe Private Security Contractors", "Joint Iraqi-U.S. review begins in wake of Blackwater firefight", "Blackwater faulted by U.S. military: report", "Iraq determined to rein in private security guards", "The Iraqi Account of the Killings [infographic]", "Former Blackwater Employee Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Murder in 2007 Shooting at Nisur Square in Iraq", "US Lawyers for Blackwater Guards: 2007 Baghdad Shooting was Self-Defense", "From Errand to Fatal Shot to Hail of Fire to 17 Deaths", "Four Former Blackwater Employees Found Guilty of Charges in Fatal Nisur Square Shooting in Iraq", "Iraqi ministers back Blackwater shutdown - CNN.com", "Iraqi Report Says Blackwater Guards Fired First", "State Dept. "These four individuals were given sentences ranging from 12 years to life imprisonment, including on charges of first-degree murder," spokesperson Marta Hurtado said in a statement. The Dark Truth about Blackwater - Brookings The Untold Truth Of The Blackwater Massacre - Grunge President Donald Trump pardoned four former Blackwater mercenaries on Tuesday who had been convicted for their role in the Nisour Square massacre that left 14 people dead in Baghdad in 2007. Trump pardons Blackwater killers for Nisour Square massacre "On what basis did Trump depend on to release them? Before Nord Stream Sabotage, VT RADIO: Exposing East Palestine Train Derailment Disaster with VTs Jack Heart, Dr. Fauci Admits COVID Shots Didnt Have A Chance Of Controlling The Pandemic, More Home Care Services Needed for Military Veterans, VA is Lying Facebook Group is Social Media Done Right, Pregnant Dog Found Starving to Death in Cage Needs Help to be Reunited With Marine Who Rescued Her, Healthy Eating Options More Accessible to Military Community through the Exchange, Israels Illegal Violent Occupation: When De-Escalate Means Ramp Up, Citizen Kane Rupert Murdoch Openly Admits Fox News is Complete Bullshit. [41], On September 18, 2007, an Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman said Blackwater is "not allowed to operate anywhere in the Republic of Iraq". Our civil case resulted in a resolution that was acceptable to the parties. "[46] Hasan Jaber Salman, a lawyer who was one of the wounded, said that "no one did anything to provoke Blackwater" and that "as we turned back they opened fire at all cars from behind"[61] An Iraqi police officer who was directing traffic at the scene said Blackwater guards "became the terrorists" when they opened fire on civilians unprovoked, while a businessman said he wasn't seeking compensation but only "the truth" from the guards. After the convictions, Blackwater which changed its name to Xe and then Academi after being sold said it was relieved that the justice system has completed its investigation into a tragedy that occurred at Nisour Square in 2007 and that any wrongdoing that was carried out has been addressed by our courts. [54] He served one tour in Iraq before being hired as a Personal Security Specialist in Iraq. [9], Blackwater guards claimed that the convoy was ambushed and that they fired at the attackers in defense of the convoy. Machine gunfire would cause his lifeless body to shake in his pool of blood. [100] UN Human Rights Office spokeswoman Marta Hurtado said that forgiveness "contributes to impunity and has the effect of encouraging others to commit such crimes in the future". The Intercept is an independent nonprofit news outlet. Blackwater mercenary Nicholas Slatten sentenced to life in prison for Blackwater mercenaries on trial in US court for 2007 Iraq massacre Trumps pardon of the Blackwater mercenaries who murdered 14 Iraqi civilians at Nisour Square shows the world what justice means in the United States. By Andrew Emett - August 16, 2019 1269 SOURCE NationofChange They beat citizens and scorn them. Notorious mercenaries convicted of massacre in Iraq pardoned by Trump Slatten, whom prosecutors said started the shooting, was sentenced to life in prison. A 20,000-strong mercenary army is being assembled in Poland. [58] Nor is the US a signatory of the 1977 additional protocol to the 1949 Geneva Conventions in which Article 47 specifies that mercenaries are civilians who "take a direct part in the hostilities" and are "motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain". What Is Blackwater? Nicholas Slatten was sentenced to life in prison without parole after being convicted of murder, while Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard were convicted of manslaughter and weapons charges. The four were convicted at then VP Joe Biden's insistence, and were serving jail terms. Trump Pardons Blackwater 4 for Nisour Square Massacre in Iraq, because 15 years after US Blackwater mercenaries massacred civilians in Baghdad Its worth recalling that before the Biden-Putin summit at Geneva last June, Russia had a similar troop build-up along Ukraines borders. [15] The incident sparked at least five investigations, including one from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. [18][30] Iraqi investigators also alleged that Blackwater helicopters fired into the cars from the air, as at least one car had bullet holes in its roof; Blackwater has denied any of its aerial units discharged weapons. Blackwater was founded by Erik Prince, whose sister, Betsy DeVos, was appointed Trumps education secretary. [89][90][91] The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit's fractured per curiam decision first found that Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act authorized the prosecutions, over the partial dissent of Judge Janice Rogers Brown. Everything was eerily quiet. [16] The FBI investigation found that, of the 17 Iraqis killed by the guards, at least 14 were shot without cause. Now justice has been undone by the stroke of a pen," Sarah Holewinski, the organization's Washington director, said in a statement. "We showed the world that we were going to hold people accountable," he says. He was shot while seated in a public bus. For those of you who are not aware, Erik Prince (Blackwater/Academi) personally sold to the CIA the concept of a mercenary army to conduct hybrid war ops and/or crypto-guerrilla war against Russia. [19] A Blackwater spokeswoman responded to the findings by saying Blackwater "supports the stringent accountability of the industry. The incident was allegedly resolved only after another Blackwater contractor pointed his weapon at the man still firing and ordered him to stop. When he arrived at the hospital, it was a war zone. Again, I knew my clients would be pleased to know that justice had been served and their rights had been protected. How many covert wars, miscarriages of justice, and dystopian technologies would remain hidden if our reporters werent on the beat? It was his business partner who lay in the pool of blood and was repeatedly shot. He was shot through the back with a massive exit wound in his chest. [92] However, the court then found that the mandatory minimum sentences as applied to the defendants were unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishments, over the partial dissent of Judge Judith W. The Blackwater mercenaries were among the most flagrant killers in Iraq but hardly unique. Blackwater mercenaries in helicopters also fired into traffic from overhead. This includes the right to see perpetrators serve punishments proportionate to the seriousness of their conduct. But supporters of the military contractors, who argued the investigation was tainted and the punishments too severe, cheered the news. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq increasingly relied on private contractors, Blackwater being only the most infamous. Abraham Al Mafrage was a 70-year-old farmer and father of seven who was also shot in the head and died that day. Dickinson says the great expense that the FBI put into the prosecution of the case has now come to nothing. [101][102] The Iraqi Foreign Ministry urged the United States to reconsider, declaring the pardons "did not take into account the seriousness of the crime committed".[103]. Trump Pardons Blackwater Contractors Who Killed Iraqis "The civilians that were fired upon, they didn't have any weapons to fire back at them. Mohammed had not been shot. [95][96] Heard, Liberty, and Slough were resentenced on September 5, 2019 to terms approximately half the original 30-year periods. [26][27], On September 27, 2007, The New York Times reported that during the chaotic incident at Nisour Square, one member of the Blackwater security team continued to fire on civilians despite urgent cease-fire calls from colleagues. on about your day, ask yourself: How likely is it that the story you just read would have been produced by a different news outlet if The Intercept hadnt done it? He received poor treatment because his injuries were less life threatening, but he was left with a disfigured and useless arm. In the sheer desperation to inflict maximum material damage to Russias security forces, however, NATO appears to have breached its own long-standing convention of curbing the proliferation of anti-aircraft munitions. They started out as a private security firm providing training support to law enforcement, the justice department, and military organizations and received their first contract from the United States government in 2000 after the bombing of the USS Cole. Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) - On Tuesday, Trump the Mad pardoned 4 Blackwater mercenaries who killed 14 Iraqi civilians, including a nine-year-old boy, with indiscriminate fire at Nisour Square in downtown Baghdad on September 14, 2007. In this 2007 video, witnesses shed light on the killing of 17 Iraqis by American contractors in Baghdad.Read the article here: http://nyti.ms/1u1cNzySubscrib. When the Blackwater contractors were finally convicted seven years later in 2014, that was a sign of relief, but you needed political will for that. The Iraqi government ordered Blackwater to leave Iraq as soon as a joint Iraqi-U.S. committee finished drafting new guidelines on private contractors under the Iraqi-U.S. security agreement. The kind of reporting we do is essential to democracy, but it is not easy, cheap, or profitable. Civilian Warriors: The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes When Mohammed opened the door, his son fell toward him as his skull opened and a large part of Alis brain fell onto the pavement between his fathers feet. . Their route home was through Nisour Square. U.S. military reports appear to corroborate the Iraqi government's contention that Blackwater was at fault in the incident. I Sued Blackwater for the Massacre of Iraqi Civilians. Trump Just He was shot through the roof of his car as the Blackwater convoy drove past firing down into traffic. In 2013, Academi subsidiary International Development Solutions received an approximately $92million contract for State Department security guards. An Iraqi policeman went over to the car, possibly to help the passenger, but the vehicle kept moving and it looked to the guards as if the policeman was pushing the car towards the Blackwater TST. The Beginning Blackwater USA began in 1997 by Al Clark and Erik Prince. "The ministry believes that this decision did not take into account the seriousness of the crime committed and was inconsistent with the U.S. administration's declared commitment to the values of human rights, justice, and the rule of law, and regrettably ignores the dignity of the victims," it said. In November last year, he pardoned a former US army commando who was set to stand trial over the killing of a suspected Afghan bomb-maker, and a former army lieutenant convicted of murder for ordering his men to fire at three Afghans. The incident happened at the height of the "military surge" ordered by the then President George W. Bush to bring the armed resistance against the occupation in Iraq under control. As shootings in the square were not uncommon, it is unclear whether the shells were from the shooting in question or from other incidents. The expense was to show the people of Iraq that the U.S. government would hold people accountable for their crimes, no matter when or where they were committed. A caption at the bottom of the screen states . He could not understand what was happening or why. [93], On December 19, 2018, Slatten was found guilty of murder[94] and again was sentenced to life in prison on August 14, 2019. [78] The opinion elaborated "the government failed to establish that the Iraqi witnesses it presented to the second grand jury were not in any way influenced by their previous exposure to the defendants' compelled statements. [32] In response to the guards' killing of the Iraqi policeman, other Iraqi police officers began to fire at the Blackwater men, who communicated to the State Department operations center that they were under attack. Constellis did not immediately respond to requests for comment. "Trump pardons Blackwater contractors jailed for massacre of Iraq civilians", 23 December 2020. He suffered from his wounds for over a year until he died from a brain injury. [55], On April 1, 2009, the Associated Press reported that forensic tests on bullets were inconclusive. "[29], On October 4, 2007, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that it would be taking the lead in the investigation of the shooting incident. "[32] According to Blackwater vice-president Marty Strong, the convoy was hit with "a large explosive device" and "repeated small arms fire" which disabled a vehicle. . ", "By investigating these crimes and completing legal proceedings, the US complied with its obligations under international law," she added. He was ensured a fair trial and convicted for his crimes. "This incident motivated the Iraqi authorities to seek the withdrawal of American troops from the country. The State Department announced an American-Iraqi joint commission to investigate both the shooting and the broader issue of employing private security contractors. More were arriving in the backs of trucks. Blackwater mercenary defends role in Iraq massacre after Trump pardon ", Trump Grants Slew Of Pardons, Including To George Papadopoulos And Duncan Hunter, Blackwater Guards Found Guilty In 2007 Shootings In Iraq, Lawyer For Victims' Families On Trump Pardoning 4 Former Blackwater Contractors. FBI scientists couldn't match bullets from the square to guns carried by the Blackwater guards and FBI investigators found foreign cartridge cases of a kind not used by U.S. or Blackwater personnel. Each step of the way, the U.S. legal system ensured that these men were given fair and just prosecutions. First ones from 16,000. Russian-American political scientist Malek Dudakov called the shooting a landmark event and a major international scandal. He was left with shrapnel in his body from the rocket launched grenade that was fired into his vehicle as he escaped. A burnt car at the site where Blackwater guards opened fire on a crowd in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2007. The civil lawsuit was filed as a wrongful death and personal injury suit against the men and companies responsible for my clients losses. Mohammed forced a doctor to look at Ali. The U.S. remains one of the notable holdouts of the 2001 UN treaty known in full as the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries and it is unlikely we will ever join. Majid survived because he was on the passenger side of the car and was protected from most of the barrage of bullets. They then set off stun grenades to clear the scene. "Paul Slough and his colleagues didn't deserve to spend one minute in prison," Brian Heberlig, a lawyer for Slough, told The Associated Press. When Mohammed looked to his right, the driver of the car next to him shouted that the soldiers had just shot into another car in front of them. Mohammed turned his bullet-riddled SUV around and drove back to the closest hospital only a few blocks behind him. Are they going to release me?". October 22 2014, 9:58 a.m. A federal jury in Washington, D.C., returned guilty verdicts against four . A former security guard working for US mercenary firm Blackwater has been found guilty of murder for his role in a notorious massacre of unarmed civilians in downtown Baghdad in 2007. They claimed they were fired on, but prosecutors said the Blackwater guards opened fire first. As he was leaving, his youngest son, who was affectionately given the nickname Alawi, asked to go with his father. Mohammed was thrilled when the U.S. entered Baghdad years earlier in 2003. Russias reluctant and delayed military intervention in Ukraine is fundamentally a war of power projection, a shot across the bow to perfidious former allies, the East European states, whove been joining the EU and NATO in droves since the break-up of Soviet Union in 1991, that the collective security of Eurasian nations is a shared responsibility, and NATOs eastward expansion along Russias western flank not only imperils the security of resurgent Russia but also compromises the balance of power in the multipolar world. [25][31], The account by the Blackwater firm differed from the Iraqi government's account; Blackwater's account stated the driver of the Kia sedan had kept driving toward the convoy, ignoring verbal orders, hand signals, and water bottles thrown at the car, and continued to approach even when fired upon. Almost everyone who was killed or injured was shot in cars, taxis, or buses. [41] Senate Democratic leaders said they planned to pass similar legislation as soon as possible. To understand the carnage that happened on the streets that day, you need to hear it in Mohammeds words as he explained it to me. [40] The US House passed a bill, titled the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, that would make all private contractors working in Iraq and other combat zones subject to prosecution by U.S. [6][86] Bringing the weapons charges was disputed within the Justice Department, which initially opposed including them in the indictment. "This was Baghdad's Bloody Sunday," Dickinson told NPR's Mary Louise Kelly on Wednesday. The Iraqi government condemned the pardons, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying in a statement late on Wednesday that it would follow up with the U.S. through diplomatic channels to urge a reconsideration. Donald Trump has pardoned four security guards from the private military firm Blackwater who were serving jail sentences for killing 14 civilians including two children in Baghdad in 2007, a massacre that sparked an international outcry over the use of mercenaries in war. I was thinking the same thing about the Chechens a few days ago. None of the bullets the lab had available could be matched to the rifles used by the guards. [4] In 2014, four Blackwater employees were tried[5] and convicted in U.S. federal court; one of murder, and the other three of manslaughter and firearms charges;[6] all four convicted were controversially pardoned[7] by President Donald Trump in December 2020,[8] in violation of international law. Private Military Companies: Blackwater - Silent Professionals Raven 23 "returned defensive fire" and withdrew from Nisour Square with one of its BearCat vehicles in tow. [26][27] A U.S. Army convoy arrived at 12:39p.m., backed by air cover, to escort TST 22 back to the Green Zone. "Today we were surprised that the American president issued a decision to pardon these criminals, murderers and thugs," Salman said, speaking from Baghdad. [77] "Prosecutors should therefore have built their case against the men without them", a BBC report explained. Opinion | Trump's Most Disgusting Pardons - The New York Times "I am overwhelmed with emotion at this fantastic news.". 3", is named Paul Slough. Sequence of events triggering the Nisour Square massacre, Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, Private Security Company Association of Iraq, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security, Inspector General of the U.S. State Department, United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, "U.S. It was an honor to represent these victims and their families. Among his clients were the parents of a 9-year-old boy who was killed as he sat in the back of his father's car.
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