|
The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
|
August 18th,
2008 - Blackwater Defends Team in Baghdad Shootings |
|
Blackwater
Defends Team in Baghdad Shootings By CNN August 18, 2008 Washington - Security contractor
Blackwater said any guards who acted improperly in a deadly 2007 shooting in
Baghdad should be held accountable, but believes its team acted in
self-defense, a company spokeswoman said. A woman walks past a burned
car in September after an incident involving Blackwater security guards. A woman walks past a burned
car in September after an incident involving Blackwater security guards. Officials familiar with the
case said Sunday that six Blackwater contractors have been told they face
possible charges in the September 2007 shootings in Baghdad's Nusoor Square. All six received
"target letters" from the Justice Department, which has convened a
grand jury to hear evidence in the case, the officials told CNN. No final decisions have been
made, but target letters often signal that criminal charges are in the works. Iraqi authorities have
accused Blackwater guards of killing 17 civilians and wounding nearly 30 in
the shootings. But Blackwater has repeatedly said its guards were acting
" in response to a hostile threat," company spokeswoman Anne
Tyrrell said in a written statement late Sunday. "Since the September
16, 2007 incident, we have said that, based on statements of company
personnel who were directly involved, we believe those involved acted
appropriately," Tyrrell said. "If it is determined that an
individual acted improperly, Blackwater would support holding that person
accountable. But at this stage, without being able to review evidence
collected in an ongoing investigation, we will not prejudge the actions of
any individual." The company has given its
full cooperation to the grand jury, which was seated in November, Tyrrell
said. Blackwater said its guards
were protecting a U.S. diplomatic convoy when they came under fire in Nusoor Square
in western Baghdad. But an Iraqi government commission that investigated the
shootings accused the guards of firing on civilians indiscriminately. The
first U.S. soldiers who arrived on the scene also told investigators they
found no evidence the guards were fired upon, sources familiar with the
investigation previously told CNN. An estimated 25,000 private
security contractors protect diplomats, reconstruction workers and government
officials there. Security contractors have
had immunity from Iraqi law under a provision put into place in the early
days of the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq The Nusoor Square shootings
led to angry protests from Iraq, as well as demands that the contractors face
trial in Iraqi courts. CNN Justice Correspondent
Kelli Arena contributed to this report. External link: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/18/blackwater.guards/ Blackwater
guards face prosection over killing of 17 Iraqi civilians By James Bone The Times August 18, 2008 Six Blackwater Worldwide
security guards have been notified that they could face prosecution in the
United States for shooting dead 17 civilians in Baghdad’s Nisoor Square in an
infamous incident that provoked fury in Iraq. The Blackwater employees
have reportedly been sent “target letters” by US prosecutors telling them
they could face charges for opening fire at the crowded intersection on
September 16, 2007. The move was welcomed by
human rights activists, who have long complained that US private security
contractors operate above the law in Iraq. “It’s incredibly important
that these incidents are not beyond the law. It certainly would be a step in
the right direction if the US would go ahead and bring charges,” said
Jennifer Daskal of Human Rights Watch, who has interviewed the traffic
policeman on duty in Nisoor Square at the time of the shooting. “This is definitely the most
high-profile case of contractor abuse in Iraq, but its certainly not the only
one.” The shootings sparked a
crisis in relations between the United States and the Iraqi government, which
threatened to expel Blackwater. In negotiations on a new
bilateral security agreement, the Iraqi government has pressed for all
foreign personnel to be subject to Iraqi law. Washington has agreed to
place contractors under Iraqi jurisdiction, but is still refusing to allow
Iraq to put US troops or officials on trial. North Caroline-based
Blackwater, meanwhile, has announced it is moving out of providing private
security, and will concentrate on training, aviation and logistics. The Blackwater guards, all
former US servicemen on contract to protect US State Department personnel,
opened fire after their motorcade entered Nisoor Square on a Sunday afternoon. US officials initially said
the motorcade was travelling back to the heavily guarded Green Zone when a
car bomb exploded, followed by volleys of small-arms fire that disabled one
of the vehicles. In remarks prepared for a
congressional hearing but never delivered because of the investigation, Erik
Prince, Blackwater’s chairman, claimed the guards “returned fire at
threatening targets,” including “men with AK-47s firing on the convoy” and
“approaching vehicles that appeared to be suicide car bombers.” Witnesses
said, however, that the four-car convoy, protected by two helicopters, did a
U-turn and started going the wrong way round the square before stopping in
the middle and opening fire without provocation. Earlier reports suggested
that the FBI was focusing on three of the Blackwater guards present. But the
Washington Post reported that six had been sent “target letters” - a prelude
to possible prosecution. The United States employs
some 190,000 contractors in Iraq, including some 25,000-30,000 private
security guards. Although heavily armed, the
private security contractors enjoy immunity from Iraqi law under a decree
issued by Paul Bremer the day before he stepped down as head of the Coalition
Provisional Authority in June 2004. Contractors hired by the US
Defence Department can be prosecuted in US courts for crimes committed
overseas under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act of 2000. That law was expanded in
2004 to include contractors working “in support” of the Pentagon. The Blackwater guards were
under contract to the State Department. But the Washington Post reported that
any charges would be brought under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction
Act because they were acting in support of the Pentagon. An investigating federal grand
jury has heard testimony from some three dozen people, but a final decision
about whether to indict the Blackwater guards may not be made until October,
the newspaper said. Experts compare the case to
a “police shooting” where a police officer is accused of using excessive
force, but say it will be even harder to prove in a US court. The victims’ families have
been offered $10,000 compensation for each person killed, but most have
refused what one called “blood money.” The families are now suing Blackwater
in the US courts. Anne Tyrell, a Blackwater
spokeswoman, said the company believed the guards opened fire “in response to
a hostile threat” and was cooperating with the investigation. “If it is determined that an
individual acted improperly, Blackwater would support holding that person
accountable,” she said. “But at this stage, without being able to review
evidence collected in an ongoing investigation, we will not prejudge the
actions of any individual.” External link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4560171.ece |