5 Blackwater Guards Charged With Manslaughter

[Idealism]

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Blackwater Worldwide security guards used machine guns and grenade launchers against unarmed Iraqi civilians, some who had their hands up, federal prosecutors said Monday in announcing manslaughter indictments against five guards.

A sixth guard admitted in a plea deal to killing at least one Iraqi in the 2007 shooting in Baghdad's Nisoor Square. Seventeen Iraqis were killed in the assault, which roiled U.S. diplomacy with Iraq and fueled anti-American sentiment abroad.

The five guards surrendered Monday and were due to ask a federal judge for bail.

''The tragic events in Nisoor Square on Sept. 16 of last year were shocking and a violation of basic human rights,'' FBI Assistant Director Joseph Persichini said.

In addition to being charged with 14 counts of manslaughter, the five guards also face 20 counts of attempted manslaughter. They are also charged with using a machine gun to commit a crime of violence, a charge that carries a 30-year minimum sentence.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/washington/AP-Blackwate...

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Let that be a lesson to any who think they are above the law

[tularetom]

1. Manslaughter? It was fucking cold blooded murder.

Good thing they added the machine gun charge or these pieces a shit would get probation and a big bonus from Blackwater for killing ragheads.

[Idealism]

2. Saddest thing is they almost got away with it

[Mist]

3. It's good this is going ahead--I wonder how it came about that these guys

are being charged at all. The US government's position has always been on the passive side of this issue--not sure if there's jurisdiction to charge mercenaries under US law, yadda yadda yadda. It seems the ball got rolling on this case because the Iraqis were going to prosecute if the US did nothing.

Another point: one of the defense lawyers says it's a simple case of self-defense. So the mercs were defending themselves from unarmed civilians who had their hands over their heads? I hope even in redder-than-red Utah, this doesn't fly.

[Dreamer Tatum]

4. It won't fly at all

these are mercenaries who killed civilians, including women and children. They might not pay enough, but they will pay.

Has it occurred to anyone that the Pentagon is offering these guys up to divert attention from crimes by regular forces?

[Mist]

5. I'm honestly surprised the mercs are being charged at all. For YEARS we've heard

how they couldn't be charged with anything in any court in the US, which I interpreted as A) bullshit, and B)yet another way of building a police state, as the regular armed forces may not be into actions against US citizens. Having this praetorian guard on steroids seemed part of the police-stating of America.

[EFerrari]

6. Good. K&R

[ContraBass Black]

7. "Let that be a lesson..."

Funny, if I shot a bunch of people, I'd be charged with MURDER. What's the lesson here?

[Idealism]

8. You have to realize the moral victory that these indictments are

Under the Republican administration who hired these goons, they get sentenced even though theres no US sovereignty in Iraq technically, which means it is international law, which has no courts and isn't really enforceable in this country. If these assholes at the Bush administration wanted to, they could've told Mukasey to get his guys to jump through so many hoops these jerkoffs would've never been prosecuted. This isn't as much as they deserve, but this is all we are going to get with BushCo in office

[biermeister]

9. Do you think that mercenaries will treat Americans

on "Main Street USA" any differently? They're mercenaries, that's what they do. No one should be surprised that these crimes were committed.

[NBachers]

10. "Unlawful killing without intent to kill?"

So it was just a well-intentioned warning shot when they blasted 'em full 'o lead with machine guns and blew 'em to smithereens with granades? Then high-fived each other for a slaughter well done?

[saigon68]

12. Every now and then these fuckers got pay back

[babydollhead]

11. kick

[Alamuti Lotus]

13. parachute the mercenaries..

into Madinat as-Sadr or what is left of al-Fallujah; 'justice' would quickly be meted out.