While they may have served honorably, they committed heinous crimes that day. ", Press Statement The Iraqi Foreign Ministry has followed up on the decision issued by the President of the United States of America, Mr. Donald Trump to pardon a number of those convicted of killing fourteen Iraqis and wounding others in 2007, pic.twitter.com/21gGWArJUl, It added that it also "regrettably ignores the dignity of the victims and the feelings and rights of their relatives. I don't think that America is built on such principles," he told the outlet, "but there must be a way. In 2014, four former government contractors who worked for Blackwater Worldwide, a security firm founded by Erik Prince — an ally of Trump and the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos — were convicted in federal court in Washington in connection with the killings. They claimed they … ", Ali Kinani was 9 years old when he was shot in the head by Blackwater guards on September 16, 2007 in Baghdad Iraq. "They prefer animals over humans, and then they talk about human rights, justice and humanity," said an Iraqi man whose brother was among those killed in 2007. The Red Wedding was a massacre that happened during the War of the Five Kings arranged by Lord Walder Frey as a payback to King Robb Stark for breaking the marriage pact between House Stark and House Frey. Erik Prince, chairman of the Prince Group, LLC and Blackwater USA, tesifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in 2007. pardon four Blackwater private security contractors, US announces troop withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan. "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. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Committees Have Way Too Much Power. On Tuesday, President Trump pardoned four former Blackwater contractors convicted in the killings. The remains of a car after Blackwater guards opened fire in Baghdad on 16 September 2007. Defence lawyers claimed the group had returned fire after being ambushed by Iraqi insurgents. Trump issued pardons for all four men on Tuesday. The pardons of the men were also condemned by Human Rights Watch and the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), which said it would embolden others to commit similar crimes. Recently, President Trump announced that he would be issuing a pardon for four members of the group who were convicted of a massacre in Iraq. They left in 2011 but returned in 2014 after the Islamic State militant group overran large parts of the country. A lawyer who represented the family of a child killed by U.S. government contractors during the Iraq War has described the decision by President Donald Trump to grant pardons to four of the men involved as "unconscionable.". The killer, or killers as the case may be, was never identified deepening the mystery surrounding the ill-fated town. "Pardoning the Blackwater contractors is an affront to justice and to the victims of the Nisour Square massacre and their families," said Jelena … Let us assume that I travel to America and kill 17 American citizens. To the Editor: Re “Bullets Ravaged Iraqis.Pardons Renew the Pain” (front page, Dec. 24):. How Can Racism Be Fixed by Race-Neutral Measures? “Pardoning the Blackwater contractors is an affront to justice and to the victims of the Nisour Square massacre and their families,” said Jelena Aparac, chair of the U.N. working group on the use of mercenaries, said in a statement. Prosecutors said the Blackwater convoy launched an unprovoked attack using sniper fire, machine guns and grenade launchers. To continue reading login or create an account. Jeremy Ridgeway, a former Blackwater guard, pleaded guilty to the massacre in 2007 in Nissor Square in Baghdad. ", "I don't know how this is allowed. IE 11 is not supported. American troops invaded Iraq in 2003 and toppled Saddam Hussein's regime. "I think it's unconscionable that they are pardoned," he added. “Pardoning the Blackwater contractors is an affront to justice and to the victims of the Nisour Square massacre and their families,” said Jelena Aparac, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on the use of mercenaries. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Survivors of Blackwater massacre in Iraq slam Trump's pardons for US guards behind killing By Aqeel Najim, Kareem Khadder and Kara Fox, CNN … ", Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics, Jasem Mohammed Hashem, who was working as a police officer when he was shot in the head in the attack, was also disappointed by Trump's decision to free the men who, he said, "opened fire randomly at the citizens.". Trump has faced criticism over his use of his clemency powers. By Brendan Cole On 12/24/20 at 7:06 AM EST. "With those sentences reversed by the stroke of a pen, who will trust the American justice system again?". "Before he died, he went crazy as he used to go out into the street and whenever he saw a young man, he imagined that he was Mahdi," he said. The deaths provoked international outrage and raised questions about the use of private security firms in war zones. Also on rt.com Blackwater ‘war criminals,’ Russiagate ‘collateral victims’ & Congress ‘crooks’ among 15 pardons announced by Trump The victims were discovered either shot or stabbed in a violent manner. "On what basis did Trump depend on to release them? Victims of organized stalking by corrupt law enforcement and intelligence agencies sometimes try to gain the attention of members of Congress so they might intervene to stop such criminal behavior. President Donald Trump has pardoned four former Blackwater security contractors who were previously convicted in the murders of civilians during the 2007 Baghdad massacre… For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Watch breaking news videos, viral videos and original video clips on CNN.com. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) tweeted: "Pardoning these murderers is a disgrace. His mother also suffered a stroke, he added. President Donald Trump's decision to pardon four Blackwater private security contractors convicted of a massacre in Baghdad has been met with fury by the victims' families in Iraq. Pleasance Massacre. pic.twitter.com/B2dwbjU4Ub. Sarah Holewinski, Washington director at Human Rights Watch, said Trump's pardons were an insult to justice, "but it's also an insult to the victims. ", "President Trump talks repeatedly about law and order and holding people accountable for crimes they commit and yet when these four men are fairly convicted of murder, manslaughter and weapons charges, and killing a nine-year-old boy, he allows them to be free.". 'Trump Has Pardoned a Child Murderer' Says Lawyer for Iraq Blackwater Massacre Victims. "I consider what the security company personnel have done is a terrorist act, as many civilians were martyred and wounded," said Hashem, 41, a father of five who was partially disabled and forced to retire after the incident. Several former Blackwater contractors were also given pardons related to their roles in the massacre of 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians, including women and children, in 2007. Iraqi authorities say 17 people were killed; the Department of Justice has said the total was 14. ", "After years of waiting, the victims finally saw justice served when these men were convicted," she said in an email. You have 4 free articles remaining this month, Sign-up to our daily newsletter for more articles like this + access to 5 extra articles. I encourage such efforts, but I would caution targeted individuals to be realistic. Daily U.S. military news updates including military gear and equipment, breaking news, international news and more. Nicholas Slatten, who was the first to start shooting, was sentenced to life in prison. The dead included 10 men, two women and another boy aged 11. On September 17th 1883, Pleasance was the site of a grisly massacre that claimed the lives of ten locals. Share. Among the plaintiffs were the family of 9-year-old Ali Kinani, the youngest of the Nisour Square massacre victims. Trump pardons of Blackwater contractors an ‘insult to justice’ Lawyers and rights defenders say Trump pardons of four men convicted in killings … Survivors and victims' relatives of a 2007 shooting in Iraq by Blackwater contractors meet with United States prosecutors in Baghdad in 2008. But on Tuesday, the White House announced in a statement that Trump had pardoned the four in a move it said was "broadly supported by the public," adding that the men "have a long history of service to the nation. “Pardoning the Blackwater contractors is an affront to justice and to the victims of the Nisour Square massacre and their families,” Jelena Aparac, secretariat of the U.N.Human Rights Council wrote in a statement. 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. Defense lawyers for the four veterans, who were working as contractors for the State Department at the time of the killings, argued that they had returned fire only after being ambushed by Iraqi insurgents. Hussein Saheb Nasser, 35, told NBC News by telephone from his home in Baghdad on Wednesday. They shot women and kids who had their hands in the air. Dickinson said that following years of legal proceedings, trials, appeals, dropped charges and re-trials, when the convictions were secured, the victims' families he represented "were pleased that they had felt they had got some justice beyond the financial recovery that I was able to obtain for them—some criminal justice. Dickinson told Newsweek: "When the White House statement says the situation turned violent, the situation turned violent because of what those men did—not because of anything that happened around them. Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment. Adela Suliman is a London-based reporter for NBC News Digital.Â. The Nisour Square massacre occurred on September 16, 2007, when employees of Blackwater Security Consulting (now Academi), a private military company contracted by the US government to provide security services in Iraq, shot at Iraqi civilians, killing 17 and injuring 20 in Nisour Square, Baghdad, while escorting a U.S. embassy convoy. Devos' brother, Erik Prince, is the founder of the Blackwater group, a group of private security contractors who have worked in tandem with U.S. troops abroad. The massacre took place in 2007, when the four were working as guards for Blackwater, a private military contractor, on an assignment in Baghdad. I was the F.B.I. 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. Shown from left are guards Dustin … The massacre in Nisour Square for which the four Blackwater guards were doing time was as bad an incident as can be found in the history of that godawful cluster of fck. The Nisour Square massacre was one of the lowest episodes of the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq. Constellis did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 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. This week, the United Nations working group on the use of mercenaries called them “an affront to justice and to the victims of the Nisour Square massacre and their families”. 7p hour recap: Trump pardons admitted liars, corrupt Republicans and Blackwater guards convicted of massacre on civilians; minutes later tells Congress to redo … US President Donald Trump has pardoned four former security guards from the private military firm Blackwater who were serving long jail terms for killing 14 Iraqi civilians, including two children, during the infamous 2007 Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad.. Survivors of Blackwater massacre in Iraq slam Trump's pardons for US guards behind killing By Aqeel Najim, Kareem Khadder and Kara Fox, CNN Updated 9:13 AM ET, Thu December 24, 2020 Iraqi authorities put the total death toll at 17, the BBC reported. Blackwater has been renamed and falls under the Constellis group of companies, a risk management business formed in 2010. They were serving lengthy prison terms, including a life sentence in one case, for the Nisour Square massacre, one of the most notorious episodes in the US’ military engagement in Iraq. Paul Dickinson, a civil litigation attorney in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the law firm James Scott Farrin, represented the family of Ali, as well as four other victims' families, in a civil lawsuit. The youngest victim of the 2007 massacre in Baghdad’s Nisour Square, committed by Blackwater mercenaries whom Donald Trump pardoned on Tuesday, was a 9-year-old boy named Ali Kinani.. 1 History 1.1 Prelude 1.2 The Massacre 1.3 Aftermath 2 Participants 2.1 Architects and Perpetrators 2.1.1 Perpetrator casualties 2.2 Known victims 2.3 Known captives 2.4 Known escapees … Nasser's younger brother, Mahdi Saheb Nasser, was 22 and working as a taxi driver when he was killed in September 2007 alongside other unarmed civilians in Baghdad's Nisur Square. @realDonaldTrump just pardoned his killers. Trump Won't Pardon Family Because They May Testify Against Him: Ex-lawyer. The pardons have reduced American talk of human rights to mere "slogans," he said, adding, "They prefer animals over humans, and then they talk about human rights, justice and humanity. If not in the earthly courts, then with God. On Wednesday, he pardoned numerous allies, including his former advisers Roger Stone and Paul Manafort. God will not let them go.". Military veterans Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard were convicted in 2014 by a U.S. federal court of voluntary manslaughter, attempted manslaughter and other charges and given sentences of between 12 and 15 years. The 14 victims killed by the Blackwater guards on … Nine-year-old Ali Kinani was among at least 14 people killed in and around Nisour Square, Baghdad, on 16 September, 2007, by Blackwater private security contractors who had been assigned to guard a U.S. diplomatic convoy. “My son was a little bit older than Ali when this happened,” Dickinson said. However, in the indictment issued by a federal grand jury in 2008, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia said that "none of the victims of this shooting were armed," and that "none of them was an insurgent," The Washington Post reported. He testified against the other … Former Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter, who pled guilty to misusing campaign funds over seven years to finance his extramarital affairs, also received a pardon. I represented Ali’s and five other families in a civil lawsuit against Blackwater and Erik Prince for the killings. Are they going to release me?". More than 3,000 troops remain in Iraq, according to defense officials, with a drawdown scheduled for January. "President Trump has pardoned a child murderer," Dickinson told Newsweek. Four men jailed for the massacre which killed at least 14, have been pardoned by President Donald Trump. See why nearly a quarter of a million subscribers begin their day with the Starting 5. Academi is an American private military company founded in 1997 by former Navy SEAL officer Erik Prince as Blackwater, renamed as Xe Services in 2009 and known as Academi since 2011 after the company was acquired by a group of private investors. President Trump this week pardoned four Blackwater guards convicted in a 2007 massacre of Iraqi civilians. "How are these criminals released after they killed 17 innocent people?" ", The Iraqi foreign ministry urged the U.S. government to reconsider the decision, tweeting that it "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. Prosecutors had said the Raven 23 convoy from the company Blackwater, which has been renamed as Academi, had launched an unprovoked attack on an unarmed crowd using sniper fire, machine-guns and grenade launchers. ", Ali Kinani's father, Mohammed, who moved to the U.S. to bring the group to justice, told Middle East Eye after he learned of the pardons: "No one is above the law is what we learned in America, but now there's someone above the law. "I am very confident that they are disappointed in the United States today," he said. Nasser, who attended the 2014 trial in the United States, said his brother's death had broken his father's heart. case agent who led the investigation of the Blackwater massacre in Baghdad.