Consider what the world of media would look like without The Intercept. 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. He died in the hospital hallway surrounded by family as he was asking for water. [34] Several Iraqi and American investigations have been conducted into the incident. courts. [54], On April 1, 2011, the Associated Press reported on Erik Prince's seven-hour testimony about what allegedly transpired. None of the bullets the lab had available could be matched to the rifles used by the guards. As he was leaving, his youngest son, who was affectionately given the nickname “Alawi,” asked to go with his father. [95], On December 22, 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump granted full presidential pardons to Slatten, Slough, Liberty, and Heard. Prosecutors argued the men did not face hostile gunfire when they began shooting, and continued to shoot despite the lack of threats. [14] The FBI investigation found that, of the 17 Iraqis killed by the guards, at least 14 were shot without cause. The Iraqi Government revoked Blackwater's license to operate in Iraq on September 17, 2007, after a massacre in Nisour Square, Baghdad in which Blackwater … That may be the overriding damage caused by these pardons. Luckily, before his SUV was attacked, Mohammed, his sister, and their children had time to duck into the car. Mohammed quickly got out of the car and saw blood inside the rear window. Shots were fired everywhere. The Intercept is an independent nonprofit news outlet. The committee was co-chaired by Abd al Qadir, the Iraqi Minister of Defense and Patricia A. Butenis, the Chargé d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. [21]:32 Shortly after assuming their positions, "Raven 23" began firing on civilians in response to an approaching car, killing fourteen and wounding twenty more. [66][67], On September 24, 2007, the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior announced it would file criminal charges against the Blackwater staff involved in the shooting, although it is unclear how some of them will be brought to trial. [26] TST 22 arrived at Nisour Square after Raven 23 had left; when TST 22 tried to withdraw, its route was blocked by Iraqi Army and Police vehicles. [46] According to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice promised a "fair and transparent" investigation into the incident. [45], The U.S. State Department said it planned to investigate what it called a "terrible incident". Dozens of witnesses were brought to the United States to testify about what happened on September 16, 2007. Blackwater’s Bullets Scarred Iraqis. The White House further stated that the Court of Appeals "ruled that additional evidence should have been presented at Mr Slatten's trial", and recently that prosecutors said "that the lead Iraqi investigator, who prosecutors relied heavily on to verify that there were no insurgent victims and to collect evidence, may have had ties to insurgent groups himself. [16][28] Iraqi investigators also alleged that Blackwater helicopters fired into the cars from the air, as at least one car had bullet holes in its roof; Blackwater has denied any of its aerial units discharged weapons. WASHINGTON — Three former Blackwater security contractors were sentenced on Thursday to roughly half of their original 30-year prison terms … [19]:116 [20] The Blackwater commander, Jimmy Watson, had received an order to stand by and not leave the Green Zone upon reaching a checkpoint, but he made a "tactical decision" to advance to Nisour Square after waiting for a few minutes; upon informing the Blackwater Tactial Operations Center, he was ordered to return to the Green Zone. [24][27], An Iraqi government account of the incident stated that as the convoy drew close to Nisour Square, a Kia sedan with a woman and her adult son in it was approaching the square from a distance, driving slowly on the wrong side of the road, and that the driver ignored a police officer's whistle to clear a path for the convoy. An Iraqi looks at a burned car in Nisour Square in the western Baghdad neighborhood of Yarmukh, on Sept. 24, 2007, eight days after Blackwater guards who were escorting U.S. Embassy officials opened fire there. The traffic circle, Nisour Square, was only a block away from one of the main entrance gates to Baghdad’s Green Zone. Then-Vice President Joe Biden held a press conference to tell the citizens of Iraq that they would not be abandoned. Who would hold party elites accountable to the values they proclaim to have? 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]". I know that each of them placed great faith in the U.S. legal system. A rocket grenade was fired into the car next to him. The result is not just that we see an injustice in the United States, but that the world must surely see cracks in the pillars of justice upon which our system is based. My clients assuredly feel ignored, mistreated, and used. on about your day, ask yourself: How likely is it that the story you just read would have been produced by a different news outlet if The Intercept hadn’t done it? Dec. 12, 2011 — -- The private security firm once known as Blackwater, which was forced out of Iraq after a shooting incident in which 17 civilians died, has changed its name for the second time in three years as it tries to win the right to do business in Iraq again. The shooting ended as suddenly as it started. The shooting of Iraqi civilians in an incident involving US security firm Blackwater has been the subject of several investigations. The logs depicted "a hectic eight minutes in which the guards repeatedly reported incoming gunfire from insurgents and Iraqi police". [8][9] The next day, Blackwater Worldwide's license to operate in Iraq was temporarily revoked. (Iraqi police) or any of the local security forces fired back at them", the official continued. However, the company was allowed to continue to operate in Iraq until January 2009 when the U.S.–Iraq Status of Forces Agreement took effect. It was chaotic. The four armored vehicles drove away. The aide also said that the Iraqi government was pushing for an apology, compensation for victims or their families and for the guards involved in the shooting to be held "accountable". But he knew he was surviving as he kept yelling for the children in the back of his SUV to stay down. Contractor Banned by Iraq Over Shootings", "F.B.I. Given what happened next, their grieving families probably hope profoundly that it was the latter. He saw the man next to him run. Trump’s pardon of the Blackwater mercenaries who murdered 14 Iraqi civilians at Nisour Square shows the world what justice means in the United States. [3][82] Prosecutors stated they reached their decision after an "assessment of the admissible evidence against him. The Biden administration can block a Trump rule codifying legal discrimination using federal funds, but 11 state-level measures remain intact. [60] After a group of Iraqi ministers backed the Iraqi Interior Ministry's decision to shut down Blackwater USA's operations in Iraq,[27] Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called on the U.S. government to end its contract with Blackwater[37] and called on Blackwater to pay the families $8 million in compensation. He was told that he had to go to a neurologic hospital on the other side of Baghdad. [35], Blackwater, which had been operating in Iraq without an Iraqi government license, applied for one after the incident, but the application was rejected by Iraqi officials in January 2009. [48], On October 4, 2007, U.S. military reports indicated Blackwater's guards had opened fire without provocation and used excessive force. He thought they had been given a miracle after he saw so many others killed. [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. [35], Henry Waxman, the chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which held hearings on the use of Private Security Contractors in February 2007, said his committee would hold hearings "to understand what has happened and the extent of the damage to U.S. security interests". [40] A spokesman stated that the ban would last for the duration of the investigation, and that it would not be permanent. To understand the carnage that happened on the streets that day, you need to hear it in Mohammed’s words as he explained it to me. In his new book, journalist Maurice Chammah explores the rise and fall of capital punishment in Texas and what it means for the country. He suffered from his wounds for over a year until he died from a brain injury. [64] Howard Krongard, who was appointed Inspector General of the U.S. State Department in 2005,[65] resigned in December 2007 after he was accused by the House Oversight Committee of improperly interfering with investigations into the Blackwater Baghdad shootings. Iraqi traffic police initially tried to wave down the Blackwater men that there was no threat, but they too had to run for cover. Rogers. The civil lawsuit was filed as a wrongful death and personal injury suit against the men and companies responsible for my clients’ losses. The US Housepassed … He was shot through the roof of his car as the Blackwater convoy drove past firing down into traffic. Raven 23 "returned defensive fire" and withdrew from Nisour Square with one of its BearCat vehicles in tow. The hospital was too busy. [26] Nicholas Slatten was found guilty of first-degree murder, and Slough, Liberty and Heard were found guilty of voluntary and attempted manslaughter charges, and of using a machine gun to commit a violent crime. 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. Although Mohammed was going to return quickly with his sister and Ali’s cousins for a visit, Mohammed told his son that he could go with him. He was in the car next to Mohammed. [36] Waxman stated that "the controversy over Blackwater is an unfortunate demonstration of the perils of excessive reliance on private security contractors. He was left with shrapnel in his body from the rocket launched grenade that was fired into his vehicle as he escaped. How many covert wars, miscarriages of justice, and dystopian technologies would remain hidden if our reporters weren’t on the beat? Blackwater and its employees had been given immunity from any criminal or civil exposure in Iraq — that was part of Prince’s contract with the State Department. Abraham Al Mafrage was a 70-year-old farmer and father of seven who was also shot in the head and died that day. The lawsuit was filed in January 2005 by the families of four Blackwater guards killed in a convoy ambush in Fallujah, Iraq, in March 2004. In addition to the Kinani family, I represented five other families and victims. Trump Just Pardoned Those Convicted Killers", "Pardons in killings of Iraqi civilians stir angry response", "Chief of Blackwater Defends His Employees", "Tracing the Paths of 5 Who Died in a Storm of Gunfire", "Blackwater Execs Remain Free as Guards Convicted for Killing 14 Iraqis in Massacre", International military intervention against ISIL, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nisour_Square_massacre&oldid=1004926569, Violent non-state actor incidents in Asia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Sequence of events triggering the Nisour Square massacre, This page was last edited on 5 February 2021, at 03:05. Erik Prince, chair of the Prince Group LLC and Blackwater USA, holds up a picture showing the effect of a car bomb while testifying during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on Capitol Hill Oct. 2, 2007 in Washington, D.C. Mohammed was going to visit his sister and her children. Majid survived because he was on the passenger side of the car and was protected from most of the barrage of bullets. Mohammed was glad Saddam’s reign of terror was finally ending. Majid Al Kareem was 51 years old when he was shot. [12] The Iraqi government vowed to punish Blackwater. ... [I]f such a thing happened in America or Britain, would the American president or American citizens accept it? [7][96] A White House statement said the men had a "long history of service to the nation" as veterans of the US Armed Forces, and that there was strong support for the pardons from the public and elected officials. Erik Prince said that he didn't believe the FBI had fully investigated the sources of all the used bullets in Nisour Square, arguing that it would have been helpful if the defense had been in possession of a complete ballistics report. [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". [70] A sixth Blackwater guard, Jeremy Ridgeway of California, struck a deal with prosecutors on December 4, 2008 and pleaded guilty to one count each of voluntary manslaughter, attempted manslaughter, and aiding and abetting,[70][3] and agreed to testify against the other five men. That changed yesterday with President Donald Trump’s pardons. [78], On April 22, 2011, after closed-door testimony, a federal appeals-court panel revived the Justice Department's prosecution of the former Blackwater Worldwide guards by reinstating the manslaughter charges against the five men. [19][73] In the memorandum opinion, Judge Urbina ruled the cases against Slough, Liberty, Heard, Ball, and Slatten had been improperly built on testimony given in exchange for immunity;[74] that evidence included statements the guards had been compelled to give to State Department investigators, and as these statements would have been self-incriminating, they could not be used as evidence under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. On Sept. 6, 2007, four guards of the Blackwater security contractor company, who were hired to protect U.S. personnel in Iraq, carried out the massacre in al-Nisour Square in western Baghdad, killing 14 Iraqi civilians including two children and sparking international outcry. When Mohammed saw the convoy enter the traffic circle, he initially thought they were regular U.S. Army members. [76] The opinion elaborated "the government failed to establish that the Iraqi witnesses it presented to the second grand jury were not in any way influenced by their previous exposure to the defendants' compelled statements. Says Guards Killed 14 Iraqis Without Cause", "Blackwater guards lose bid to appeal charges in Iraqi civilian shooting case", "U.S. troops in Iraq will need immunity: U.S. chief", "Jurors' Note Hints at Conviction in Blackwater Case", "Former Blackwater Guards Convicted in Iraq Shooting", "Trump Pardons Two Russia Inquiry Figures and Blackwater Guards", "Iraqi Inquiry Says Shooting Was Unprovoked", "Blackwater guards fired unprovoked: Iraq police evidence", "Pentagon Dispatches Investigators to Iraq to Probe Private Security Contractors", "Joint Iraqi-U.S. review begins in wake of Blackwater firefight", "Blackwater faulted by U.S. military: report", "Iraq determined to rein in private security guards", "The Iraqi Account of the Killings [infographic]", "Former Blackwater Employee Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Murder in 2007 Shooting at Nisur Square in Iraq", "US Lawyers for Blackwater Guards: 2007 Baghdad Shooting was Self-Defense", "From Errand to Fatal Shot to Hail of Fire to 17 Deaths", "Four Former Blackwater Employees Found Guilty of Charges in Fatal Nisur Square Shooting in Iraq", "Iraqi ministers back Blackwater shutdown - CNN.com", "Iraqi Report Says Blackwater Guards Fired First", "State Dept. [77] Three weeks later, Vice President Joe Biden, who was overseeing U.S. policy in Iraq, promised Iraqi leaders the U.S. would appeal the dismissal of these charges. [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. "[44] Hasan Jaber Salman, a lawyer who was one of the wounded, said that "no one did anything to provoke Blackwater" and that "as we turned back they opened fire at all cars from behind"[59] An Iraqi police officer who was directing traffic at the scene said Blackwater guards "became the terrorists" when they opened fire on civilians unprovoked, while a businessman said he wasn't seeking compensation but only "the truth" from the guards. In September 2007, four men working for Blackwater, a private security company, opened fire on an unarmed crowd in Baghdad’s Nisoor Square. Nassar Hamza was 67 years old when he was shot and wounded in the arm. When Blackwater security guard Nicholas Slatten was tried and convicted for murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, the U.S. legal system determined that he needed a new trial. He was also encouraged to pursue it by Micah Bell. There was no immediate response from the Iraqi government. Our civil case resulted in a resolution that was acceptable to the parties. [52], Radio logs released in December 2008 seemed to affirm that the guards had been responding to an attack on September 16. Ghasson Mahmood was a 55-year-old civil engineer. The killings sparked international outrage. I commented when the convictions were first brought that I was certain my clients who were still residents of Iraq were pleased to know that justice had been served. The headrest next to him where his sister sat had a bullet hole through it. We don’t have ads, so we depend on our members — 35,000 and counting — to help us hold the powerful to account. This combination made from file photo shows convicted former Blackwater guards, from left, Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty, Nicholas Slatten and Paul Slough. This evidentiary use of tainted information constitutes yet another Kastigar violation. They then set off stun grenades to clear the scene. The report further said that Blackwater had reported that its forces fired first in over 80 percent of the cases. An ambulance was called, and Ali and Mohammad were rushed to the other side of town. When Mohammed opened the door, his son fell toward him as his skull opened and a large part of Ali’s brain fell onto the pavement between his father’s feet. Mohammed would look to see what was happening. and thus prosecution by U.S. In 2009, several weeks after U.S. charges in … Mohammed was a businessman dealing in auto salvage. It wasn’t unusual for regular U.S. Army convoys to stop traffic. https://theintercept.com/2020/12/23/blackwater-massacre-iraq-pardons [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. Was obviously excessive '', a U.S. military reports appear to corroborate the Iraqi government 's that. 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