December 25, 2020
1 min read

UN Slams Trump Over Blackwater Pardons

US President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump’s pardoning of four security guards from the private military firm Blackwater who were convicted of killing 14 Iraqi civilians was not a positive development, a UN spokesman said.

“We support what the (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights said. This development is not a positive one for accountability of crimes against civilians,” Xinhua news agency quoted Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as saying at a briefing on Thursday.

Also Read – Iraq urges Trump to reconsider ‘Blackwater pardons’

On the broader issue of paid mercenaries and paid military contractors, the Secretary-General has spoken out very forcefully on the negative influence that they have, he said.

It is also very important that accountability be registered when civilians are killed, Dujarric further said at the briefing.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that pardoning the four security guards contributes to impunity and has the effect of emboldening others to commit such crimes in the future.

Trump on Tuesday granted full pardons to 15 people, including the four Blackwater security guards — Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard — convicted of killing 14 civilians in a 2007 massacre in Baghdad.

Slatten, Slough, Liberty and Heard were among 19 Blackwater private security contractors assigned to guard a convoy of four heavily-armoured vehicles carrying US personnel.

Also Read – Trump vetoes annual defence bill

According to the US Justice Department, at about noon that day several of the contractors opened fire in and around Nisoor Square, a busy roundabout that was immediately adjacent to the heavily-fortified Green Zone.

When they stopped shooting, at least 14 Iraqi civilians were dead – 10 men, two women and two boys, aged nine and 11.

Slatten was found guilty of committing first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2019.

Following a retrial, Slough, Liberty and Heard subsequently had their sentences reduced to 15, 14 and 12 years, respectively.

Previous Story

European Nations Welcome UK Trade Deal

Next Story

B’ town Picture Gallery

Latest from -Top News

Pakistan’s Shadow War in Balochistan

At least 50 killed by Pakistan-backed death squads in Balochistan in April, says HRCB — toll expected to rise in May….reports Asian Lite News The Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) reported

Russia, Ukraine Resume Talks

The upcoming talks follow a significant hiatus in diplomatic engagement between the two nations, which have been locked in a brutal conflict since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 Russia and

UN Pays Tribute to Indian Soldiers

Thursday was observed as the 77th UN Peacekeepers Day, honouring the work of 61,353 peacekeepers, of whom 5,375 hailed from India….reports Asian Lite News Brigadier Amitabh Jha and Havildar Sanjay Singh, who

Modi’s New Warfare Playbook

Modi has upended the old playbook and India and Pakistan are entering dangerous new territory where nuclear deterrence is no longer a guarantee against conventional conflict…writes Collins Chong Yew Keat The India-Pakistan

World needs Dubai’s ambition: Morgan

Piers Morgan has hailed Dubai’s transformation as an example of what visionary leadership can achieve. British broadcaster Piers Morgan has praised the extraordinary ambition and vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin
Go toTop