December 28, 2020
ANKARA
Cuba on Monday blasted the US move to issue pardons for war criminals convicted of killing civilians in Iraq.
“The pardons granted to war criminals hired by the US as mercenaries say much about both the perpetrators and the government that hired and pardoned them,” Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said on Twitter.
His remarks came days after US President Donald Trump pardoned four employees of Blackwater Security Consulting, an American private military company, who killed civilians in Iraq and were found guilty by a US court in 2014.
Employees shot at Iraqi civilians, killing 17 and injuring 20 in Nisour Square, Baghdad on Sept. 16, 2007, as they were escorting a US embassy convoy.
US Continues to Pardon War Criminals in Iraq, Afghanistan December 26,2020
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump announcing this week a wave of pardons was the latest in a series of wielding his clemency powers over the years for war criminals that were convicted of killing civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. As US presidents have used their authority for more than two hundred years to offer second chances to some Americans, Trump has issued 70 pardons during his time in the White House as of Wednesday. Trump s executive clemency, however, keeps adding controversial military figures after he pardoned four employees of an American private military company who killed civilians in Iraq and were found guilty by a US court in 2014.
(AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)
Four of the pardons extended by President Trump a couple of days ago were more important than the others. The headlines went to George Papadopoulos and one other man who had been caught up in the quasi-legal coup attempt perpetrated on the nation using the pliable and not terribly cognizant Robert Mueller (read In Surprise Move, President Trump Pardons George Papadopoulos, Among Others). However, the real injustice involved four young veterans who had hired on with the private military contractor (PMC) Blackwater USA.
On September 16, 2007, Blackwater dispatched an armed convoy in response to a car bomb exploding near a meeting being held by US and Iraqi officials. The convoy had to traverse a highly trafficked area in Baghdad called Nisour Square.
Trump Pardon of Security Contractors Sparks Outrage in Iraq
President Donald Trump listens during an event on Operation Warp Speed in the Rose Garden of the White House, Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
24 Dec 2020 The Los Angeles Times | By Nabih Bulos, Chris Megerian and Tracy Wilkinson
AMMAN, Jordan It was around noon in Baghdad on Sept. 16, 2007, when “Raven 23,” a four-SUV convoy and tactical support team for the private military company Blackwater approached Nisour Square.
Blackwater guards jumped out of the vehicles to stop traffic for a U.S. diplomatic team. At 12:08 p.m., Nicholas Slatten, the team’s sniper, began firing at a white Kia sedan.
Here are the high-profile pardons and commutations Trump has granted during his presidency
The end of President Donald Trump’s time in office has been marked by a renewed interest in granting clemency both from the President, and from members of his inner circle looking for protection before President-elect Joe Biden assumes office.
While Trump has continued to falsely insist publicly that he won the presidential election rather than Biden, the President’s pardon of former national security adviser Michael Flynn was a sign Trump understands his time in office is coming to a close. The President announced a wave of pardons in the days before Christmas, kicking off what is expected to be a flurry of pardons and commutations in the coming weeks as he concludes his term.