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On September 16, 2007, employees of the US private security company Blackwater opened fire on unarmed civilians in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. At least 14 lose their lives. Twenty others were injured.
The Nisurtorget massacre became an international scandal and diluted anger against the US presence in the country. Three of the Blackwater employees involved were later sentenced to thirty years in prison for manslaughter. The fourth, Nicholas Slatten, was sentenced to life in prison for murder.
Now all their sentences are lifted. The White House said in a statement that the men, who had previously been in the US military, “have been serving the country for a long time.”
“Insults the memory of the victims”
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) calls the announcement “a new bottom line” for the outgoing president.
“President Trump is insulting the memory of the Iraqi victims and further tarnishing his office with this decision,” Hina Shamsi, who heads the ACLU’s internal security program, told AFP.
There are several links between the Trump administration and Blackwater, which since the massacre changed its name to Academi. The founder of the security firm, Eric Prince, donated millions of crowns to Trump’s election campaign in 2016 and, according to the Washington Post, acts as an “informal adviser” to the president.
His sister Betsy DeVos has also been Trump’s education minister since 2017.
Anger in Iraq
In Iraq, reactions to the pardons were strong.
“They grant immunity to their soldiers even when they claim to protect human rights,” Ali Bayati of the Iraqi Human Rights Commission told AFP.
Fares Saadi, the police who led the investigation into the 2007 shooting of unarmed civilians in Baghdad, said they had long ago given up hope for justice.
– It was a random 360 degree shot. I picked up the people, took them to the hospital and took their testimonies, he says.
Forgive the allies
Trump also pardons two people who have been convicted of crimes related to the Russia investigation, which investigated a possible connection between Trump’s campaign for the presidential election and Russia.
The pardons list also includes three former Republican members of Congress.
It is not unusual for presidents of the United States to use their last days in power to forgive people. In November, Trump pardoned his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who admitted in connection with the Russia investigation that he had lied to the FBI. In July, the president also lifted the prison sentence for his former adviser Roger Stone.
Ivar Andersen / TT
Susanna Persson Öste / TT
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