Anger after Trump pardons Blackwater mercenaries who killed 17 civilians

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry made it clear on Wednesday that Trump’s decision “violates the values ​​of human rights, justice and the law.” Forgive the four mercenaries from the security company Blackwater. The department is asking Trump to reconsider his apology.

U.S. President Nicolas Slotten released Paul Sluff, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard on Tuesday. The men were mercenaries hired by private American security firm Blackwater and have been arrested since 2014 on murder and murder charges.

During the Iraq war, Blackwater continued to be used to protect US troops patrols. Similarly, on September 16, 2007, the four men in question committed a murder. They marched with an army line crossing Baghdad. As the vehicles passed Nisur Square, mercenaries – according to eyewitnesses – began firing around them without any warning. Seventeen civilians were killed.

One of them is nine-year-old Ali Kinani. He was sitting in the back seat of his father’s car with his nephews when the rain of bullets triggered the vehicle. In an interview with the press at the time Nation He tells how his father Mohammed tried in vain to save his son. “I was completely shocked. When I opened the car door, his brain fell to the floor between my legs. ”

Erax My-Lai

This is one of the most infamous incidents of the Iraq war. FBI officials visited the square a few days after the shooting, calling it “My Loy in Iraq”, referring to the massacre of American soldiers during the Vietnam War.

Blackwater mercenaries always said they were shot first and acted in self-defense. But there is no evidence for this. All four were convicted of murder and murder in 2014 by a U.S. court. Slayton was sentenced to life imprisonment, while the other three were each sentenced to thirty years in prison.

Encouragement for future crimes

Forgiveness is a privilege that the US President can use to acquit criminals. It is only natural that the President should use this at the end of his term.

According to a White House press release, all four mercenaries have a “long history of serving their country” and there is widespread support among the American people for their release.

Nowadays, the response from an international angle is mainly angry and incomprehensible. The UN Office of Human Rights said in a statement that the pardon “contributes to impunity and encourages others to commit similar crimes in the future.”

The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a crowd of Iraqis fighting for justice. In an emotional interview with the British show ‘Newshore’, Ali Kinani’s father responded to Trump’s apology. “Before, I thought no one was above the law, but today the president of the United States shows that he is above the law,” he says. “I feel like I lost my son again. Today, Trump ruined my life again.”

Also read:

Who can forgive Trump at the last minute?

The president will apologize shortly before leaving the White House. Trump is expected to apologize to a few more before January.