Iraq
An Iraqi woman walks past a burned car on Sept 24 2007, at the site where Blackwater guards opened fire in western Baghdad. Photo: Ali Yussef/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — UN experts on Wednesday condemned the pardon of four Blackwater contractors convicted of a 2007 Baghdad massacre as an “affront to justice,” calling on states party to the Geneva Conventions to condemn the pardons granted by US President Donald Trump last week.
Four contractors previously found guilty of the massacre of 14 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad’s Nisour Square were pardoned by Trump as part of a wider wave of clemencies on 22 December.
The massacre took place after a car bomb exploded near a US diplomat, who was under Blackwater protection. The team were sent to evacuate the official before indiscriminately firing at people trying to escape or take cover, according to a document from the US Court of Appeals.
The security firm was banned from Iraq in 2009.
Nicholas Slatten was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder, with three others, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard, were found guilty of voluntary and attempted manslaughter.
“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 Geneva Conventions oblige states to hold war criminals accountable for their crimes, even when they act as private security contractors. These pardons violate US obligations under international law and more broadly undermine humanitarian law and human rights at a global level,” she added.
Following the pardons, the Iraqi foreign ministry said that the Trump administration "did not take into account the seriousness of the crime committed" when making its decision.
The pardons were "inconsistent with the US administration's declared commitment to the values of human rights, justice and the rule of law," read a statement from the ministry.
Friends and family of the victims also spoke out against the decision.
"It is an utter outrage, but it is also not surprising by any means. The Americans have never approached us Iraqis as equals," said a former classmate of 20-year-old victim Ahmad.
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