Monday, April 13, 2015
"Ex-Blackwater contractors sentenced in Nusoor Square shooting in Iraq" Brett Akop
"One former employee of the private Blackwater Worldwide security company was sentenced Monday to life in prison and three others to 30 years each behind bars for their roles in a 2007 mass shooting in Baghdad that left 17 people dead. A federal jury convicted the four in October after a lengthy trial that saw some 30 witnesses travel from Iraq to testify against the security contractors. Prosecutors accused the men of illegally unleashed "powerful sniper fire, machine guns and grenade launchers on innocent men, women and children." Senior U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth sentenced Blackwater sniper Nicholas Slatten to a term of life in prison, mandatory for his first-degree murder conviction. Blackwater workers Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard were sentenced to 30 year each, plus one day. Slough was convicted of 13 counts of voluntary manslaughter, 17 counts of attempted manslaughter and a firearms offense. The jury convicted Liberty of eight counts of voluntary manslaughter, 12 counts of attempted manslaughter and a firearms offense. Heard was found guilty of six counts of voluntary manslaughter, 11 counts of attempted manslaughter and a firearms offense. According to prosecutors, the four were among seven Blackwater employees who opened fire in the Nusoor Square traffic circle in Baghdad, killing 17 people. An FBI investigation found 14 of the deaths unjustified, according to rules of engagement for private security contractors in Iraq. Slatten was accused of firing the first shots." These situation relate to injustices regarding pacifist protests in the 60's in the black civil rights. Clearly the death toll was much higher in the 60's, but I believe there is the same kind of discrimination in this conflict. Profiling an entire race in any circumstance is unfair and ignorant. In this situation, I believe there is some very extreme patriotism present and that can distract a person's logic and humanity.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/13/us/blackwater-contractors-iraq-sentencing/index.html
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This is really insightful, and this is a really sad situation, its awful and its sad and this kind of thing happens
ReplyDeleteYou are correct in that nationalism and jingoistic zeal can alter a person's morality, especially in cases such as this. Though this is certainly not a rare occurrence, it is still important to take note of those that are affected by US involvement in the world.
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