As Jury Takes Up Blackwater Massacre in Nisoor Square, a Grieving Iraqi Father Recalls Son’s Death
September 2, 2014
Jurors will begin deliberating this week in the murder and manslaughter trial of four former Blackwater operatives involved in the 2007 massacre at Baghdad’s Nisoor Square. The suspects are charged for the deaths of 14 of the 17 Iraqi civilians who died when their Blackwater unit opened fire. The trial featured testimony from witnesses who survived the attack and saw loved ones gunned down. In closing arguments last week, prosecutors said Blackwater guards had shot fleeing civilians and boasted of taking their lives. Nisoor Square is the highest-profile deadly incident involving Blackwater — or any private war contractor — and many Iraqis are watching the upcoming verdict to see how seriously the United States intends to hold its private security companies accountable for their alleged crimes. The first witness to testify in the Blackwater trial was Mohammed Kinani, who broke down in tears when describing how his nine-year-old son, Ali, was shot in the head while riding in the back seat of the family car. Kinani reportedly sobbed so uncontrollably when testifying that Judge Royce Lamberth temporarily dismissed the jury. We air a documentary that tells Mohammad and Ali’s story, "Blackwater’s Youngest Victim," by the Oscar-nominated filmmakers Jeremy Scahill and Richard Rowley.
Transcript
AMY GOODMAN: Jurors will begin deliberating this week in the murder and manslaughter trial of four former Blackwater operatives allegedly involved in the 2007 massacre at Baghdad’s Nisoor Square. The suspects are charged with the deaths of 14 of the 17 Iraqi civilians who died when their Blackwater unit indiscriminately opened fire. The trial features testimony from witnesses who survived the attack and saw loved ones gunned down. In closing arguments last week, prosecutors said Blackwater guards had shot fleeing civilians and boasted of taking their lives. Nisoor Square is the highest-profile deadly incident involving Blackwater—or any private war contractor.
The first witness to testify in the Blackwater trial was a man named Mohammed Kinani. He broke down when describing how his nine-year-old son Ali was shot in the head while riding in the back seat of the family car. Kinani reportedly sobbed so uncontrollably when testifying that Judge Royce Lamberth temporarily dismissed the jury. The next day, one juror said she had been too haunted to sleep, causing the judge to excuse her from service.
Well, we turn now to a remarkable documentary that tells Mohammed and Ali Kinani’s story. It’s called Blackwater’s Youngest Victim. The film was created by Big Noise Films and Democracy Now! in association with The Nation magazine and The Nation Institute, shot by Rick Rowley, narrated by Jeremy Scahill. It begins with Mohammed Kinani recalling the day he lost his son.
in full: http://www.democracynow.org/2014/9/2/as_jury_takes_up_blackwater_massacre
= new reply since forum marked as read
