Contractors will lose immunity in deal

[unhappycamper]

Contractors will lose immunity in deal
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, November 22, 2008

WASHINGTON — All military contractors in Iraq will likely lose their immunity from Iraqi law starting in January, according to officials from the State and Defense Departments.

Leaders from both agencies met Thursday with representatives from 172 contractors currently operating in Iraq to brief them about changes in their legal status once the new security agreement is approved, officials confirmed.

That Status of Forces Agreement allowing U.S. troops to stay in the country past Dec. 31 is expected to be finalized by both countries’ governments in the next few weeks.

U.S. troops and civilian Defense Department employees would still enjoy immunity under the plan as currently written. But defense contractors would be subject to Iraqi laws, could be arrested and detained by Iraqi police and would have to get Ministry of Interior permits to carry guns, a senior Defense Department official said.

Contractors working for the military would also still be subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Military Extraterritorial Judicial Act.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=58981

[Lasher]

1. I heard on Countdown last night that this would be retroactive too.

Sins of the past could come back to bite Blackwater.