It was obviously wrong,” a senior official associated with the investigation had told The Washington Post. [44] On September 21, CNN reported that Blackwater would resume normal operations the following day. [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 pardoned by Donald Trump in December 2020. "The civilians that were fired upon, they didn't have any weapons to fire back at them. [79] A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found "systemic" errors in the district court's 2009 decision to dismiss charges against the five former Blackwater guards and added "We find that the district court's findings depend on an erroneous view of the law". The order did not say when the suspension would expire. [39], Richard J. Griffin, the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security, who made key decisions regarding the department's oversight of private security contractor Blackwater USA, resigned in November 2007, after a critical review by the House Oversight Committee found that his office had failed to adequately supervise private contractors during the Blackwater Baghdad shootings. Circuit Holds It Cruel and Unusual to Impose Mandatory Thirty-Year Sentence on Military Contractors for Gun Charge, "Former Blackwater contractor found guilty of murder in Iraq massacre", "Former Blackwater Guard Sentenced to Life for 2007 Baghdad Traffic-Circle Shooting", "Former Blackwater security contractor sentenced to life in Iraq shootings; In all, 10 men, two women and two boys, ages 9 and 11, were killed", "Blackwater Contractors Resentenced in 2007 Attack on Baghdad Civilians", "Survivors of Blackwater massacre in Iraq slam Trump's pardons for US guards behind killing", "Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grants of Clemency", "Relative of Blackwater victim in Iraq says pardons 'unfair, "UN criticises Trump's pardons for Blackwater guards jailed over Iraq killings", "I Sued Blackwater for the Massacre of Iraqi Civilians. Trump also pardoned 16 other people on Tuesday, including Alex … He was the youngest person killed by Blackwater forces in the infamous Nisour Square massacre. The 2004 Fallujah Blackwater incident occurred on March 31, 2004, when Iraqi insurgents attacked a convoy containing four American contractors from the private military company Blackwater USA who were conducting a delivery for food caterers ESS. However, after "Raven 23" entered Nisour Square, Watson was ordered to "lock down the traffic circle to expedite the travel of [the other Blackwater team]". [24][25], 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. This evidentiary use of tainted information constitutes yet another Kastigar violation. ... [I]f such a thing happened in America or Britain, would the American president or American citizens accept it? "[30] 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. blackwater massacre videos and latest news articles; GlobalNews.ca your source for the latest news on blackwater massacre . [3][82] Prosecutors stated they reached their decision after an "assessment of the admissible evidence against him. [10] The U.S. State Department has said that "innocent life was lost",[11] and according to The Washington Post, a military report appeared to corroborate "the Iraqi government's contention that Blackwater was at fault". The case of the Blackwater contractors has been a part of a heavy legal battle since 2007. [27] Several sources have stated that the explosion was caused by a mortar round, though this is not reflected in the State Department's incident report. The case of the Blackwater contractors has been a part of a heavy legal battle since 2007. santa cruz island videos and latest news articles; GlobalNews.ca your source for the latest news on santa cruz island . [23], A State Department spot report published the same day as the incident stated that eight to ten attackers opened fire on Raven 23 "from multiple nearby locations, with some aggressors dressed in civilian apparel and others in Iraqi police uniforms" after the convoy had entered Nisour Square,[24] starting at 12:08 p.m.[25] The report added that another Blackwater Tactical Support Team (TST 22), who had escorted the officials and TST 4 back to the Green Zone, was redirected to support Raven 23. The report further said that Blackwater had reported that its forces fired first in over 80 percent of the cases. 3", is named Paul Slough. The Kia continued to roll forward after the driver was killed, according to an eyewitness, and Raven 23 continued to fire on it, killing the passenger (the driver's mother); eventually, the Kia was struck by a grenade, incinerating it. [43] Also, it is not clear whether the license revocation is permanent. BY Brandon Gage December 24, 2020. Raven 23 "returned defensive fire" and withdrew from Nisour Square with one of its BearCat vehicles in tow. Three Ex-Blackwater Guards Are Resentenced in Iraq War Massacre Dustin L. Heard, center, a former Blackwater security guard, was sentenced to more than 12 years in … [95], On December 22, 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump granted full presidential pardons to Slatten, Slough, Liberty, and Heard. [39] Senate Democratic leaders have said they plan to pass similar legislation as soon as possible. They beat citizens and scorn them. In his testimony, Prince noted that, "It seems the ballistics analysis was done to prove the guilt of the Americans, not to just try to identify what happened there." Blackwater massacre survivors In Iraq slam Trump's decision to pardon guards By Aqeel Najim, Kareem Khadder and Kara Fox, CNN 12/24/2020 Self-described neo-Nazi sentenced to … Supporters of the former contractors at Blackwater Worldwide, which was founded in 1997 and opened its first training center in northeastern North Carolina, had lobbied for the pardons. A subreddit for Rockstar's critically acclaimed open-world Western game Red Dead Redemption, its prequel Red Dead Redemption 2, and its online multiplayer Red Dead Online. They were employed by Blackwater Security Consulting, a private military organization … "[27], On October 4, 2007, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that it would be taking the lead in the investigation of the shooting incident. President Trump, in his final days of office, pardoned four American private contractors who took part in the Blackwater shooting, responsible for the deaths of 14 Iraqi civilians in 2007.Trump’s actions have resulted in indignation and outrage in Iraq. [99][100] The Iraqi Foreign Ministry urged the United States to reconsider, declaring the pardons "did not take into account the seriousness of the crime committed. [47], An Interior Ministry spokesman said Iraqi authorities had completed their investigation into the shooting and concluded that Blackwater guards were responsible for the deaths. [6][84] Bringing the weapons charges was disputed within the Justice Department, which initially opposed including them in the indictment. Five were charged with 14 counts of manslaughter, 20 counts of attempted manslaughter and a weapons violation: Donald Ball, a former Marine from West Valley City, Utah; Dustin Heard, a former Marine from Knoxville, Tennessee; Evan Liberty, a former Marine from Rochester, New Hampshire; Nicholas Slatten, a former army sergeant from Sparta, Tennessee, and Paul Slough, an army veteran from Keller, Texas. The order confines most Americans to a 3.5 square miles (9.1 km2) area in the center of the city so that they are unable to visit other areas without traveling in a helicopter. [57] (The Protocol makes no distinction between defensive and offensive actions, but the U.S. does make such a distinction, in that it does not regard defensive actions by security guards to be combat)[58], Baghdad resident Halim Mashkoor told AP Television News, "We see the security firms ... doing whatever they want in the streets. [90] 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. Share this video: VIDEO: Blackwater massacre survivor outraged by Trump's pardons. It is unclear whether the team-member mistook the civilians for insurgents. Mohammed turned his bullet-riddled SUV around and drove … He was the youngest person killed by Blackwater forces in the infamous Nisour Square massacre. [34], On September 19, as a result of the incident, the United States temporarily suspended all land travel by U.S. diplomats and other civilian officials in Iraq outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone. [52], Radio logs released in December 2008 seemed to affirm that the guards had been responding to an attack on September 16. [38] The US House passed a bill that would make all private contractors working in Iraq and other combat zones subject to prosecution by U.S. If it is determined that one person was complicit in the wrongdoing, we would support accountability in that. Survivors of Blackwater massacre in Iraq slam Trump's pardons for U.S. guards behind killing. Slatten faced a potential sentence of life in prison. 0:52. [35] A senior aide to al-Maliki said that three of the Blackwater guards were Iraqis and could be subject to prosecution. The Blackwater case has taken a complicated path since the killings at Baghdad’s Nisoor Square in September 2007, when the men, former veterans working as … [14] The FBI investigation found that, of the 17 Iraqis killed by the guards, at least 14 were shot without cause. [81], In September 2013, the charges against Ball were dropped. [56] 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". [68] A second civil lawsuit filed jointly by the families of six victims against Blackwater was settled on January 6, 2012 for an undisclosed sum. [62], US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates testified before Congress that the Pentagon has sufficient legal authority to control its contractors, but that commanders lack sufficient "means and resources" to exercise adequate oversight. BY Brandon Gage December 24, 2020. In 2014, four Blackwater employees were tried and convicted in U.S. federal court; o… "[97], Clemency caused outrage among Iraqi citizens and family members of the victims. Video of the aftermath includes an image of a human brain on the road in Nisour Square. President Trump's pardon of four Blackwater private security personnel, convicted of a 2007 massacre in Iraq, has been met with fury by victims and relatives. President Donald Trump on Tuesday pardoned four men who participated in a massacre of Iraqi civilians at Nisour Square in Baghdad in 2007. Slatten, who was found to be the first to open fire, was convicted of first-degree murder and … [52] He enlisted in 1999, and served in Bosnia with the 3rd Infantry Division. Video; Blackwater Massacre Survivor: Donald Trump ‘Will Have to Face God’ for Pardoning Mercenaries. (Iraqi police) or any of the local security forces fired back at them", the official continued. Trump Pardons Blackwater 4 for Nisour Square Massacre in Iraq, because Whites must never Suffer for Killing Innocent Brown People. A US Military investigation conducted within a month of the Nisour Square incident, concluded that Blackwater was responsible for the massacre.
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