U.N.: Trump’s Blackwater pardons violate International law, affront to justice – By Darryl Coote (UPI) / Dec 30 2020
Dec. 30 (UPI) — President Donald Trump‘s pardon last week of four former Blackwater Worldwide military contractors convicted of killing 14 Iraqis in 2007 violates U.S. obligations under international law, experts with the United Nations said Wednesday in urging member states to condemn the presidential action.
“Pardoning the Blackwater contractors is an affront to justice and to the victims of the Nisour Square massacre and their families,” said Jelena Aparac, the chair-rapporteur of the U.N. Working Group on the use of mercenaries that issued the statement.
Nicholas Slatten was convicted of first-degree murder and Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard were convicted of voluntary and attempted manslaughter by U.S. courts in 2015 for their involvement in the 2007 shooting in Nisour Square that left 14 civilians dead and 17 wounded. Slatten was sentenced to life while the other three received at least 12-year-imprisonment orders.
On Dec. 22, Trump pardoned the four former contractors and justified it by questioning the merits of the Justice Department’s prosecution.
