14 civilians were killed. The Court: Annuity for an American mercenary – rmf24.pl

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Final famous case of the massacre of civilians in Iraq, by the Americans. The court in Washington was sentenced to life imprisonment of one of the US company Blackwater mercenaries, and three other punished 30 years in prison for killing 14 Iraqi civilians during a shootout in Baghdad in 2007.

The judgment closes one of the tragic chapters of the American Civil War Iraq

/ Archive RMF FM

Judge Royce Lamberth, announcing the judgment emphasized that a fully agree with the decision jury, which in October last year recognized the accused, who stood before a federal court in Washington guilty of the murder of Iraqi civilians. The guards escorted the convoy of four vehicles, which traveled American diplomats.

The term of life imprisonment was sentenced Nicholas Slatten and three others: Paul Slough, Evan Liberty, Dustin Heard and heard the sentence 30 years in prison.

Monday’s ruling closes one of the tragic chapters of the American war in Iraq, which put a strain on the relationship between Washington and Baghdad and was a test for the American justice system.

The security company Academia LLC has agreed to pay $ 7.5 million. penalties for illegal arms exports – US Department of Justice said. Protection Agency, formerly operating under the name Blackwater, she did it to avoid a trial. read more

In 2009, Judge Ricardo Urbina American dismissed all charges against Blackwater employees (hired by the US government to guard some facilities in Iraq), the defendants of killing 14 Iraqi civilians and multiple attempted murder. His claim has been infringed constitutional rights of the accused. According to the judge, prosecutors improperly used the testimony of Blackwater security guards made investigators from the US State Department, obtained under threat of losing their jobs.

“They were not human beings”

Authorities appealed against that judgment. During the subsequent trial, in August, the prosecutor quoted the words of one of the former mercenaries, who said that “the life of these people (the Iraqis) was not worth anything, they were not even human beings, but animals.”

The massacre Baghdad shocked public opinion, as well as the initial distance charges, which was considered proof of impunity private security firms that worked on the orders of the Pentagon in Iraq. According to Iraqi sources, 17 civilians were killed, according to US investigators – 14 of 18 Iraqis were wounded.

Surrounded by the infamous Blackwater changed its name to Xe Services and reorganized management. Upon taking office, President Barack Obama ordered the termination of the contract with the company.

In 2011, the United Arab Emirates outsourced developers Blackwater Erik Prince’owi creating 800-strong battalion composed of foreigners who zdusiłby possible revolt.

_(abs)