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Two Blackwater employees charged in 2009 Kabul shootings

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] US authorities on Thursday announced charges against two former employees of security firm Blackwater in connection with the May 5 shooting death of two Afghans in Kabul. Justin Cannon and Christopher Drotleff each face 13 counts under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA), including two counts of second-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, and discharging a firearm during a violent crime, for which they could receive life in prison or the death penalty if convicted. The men are accused of shooting three men, reportedly during a traffic incident, while working for Blackwater subsidiary Paravant LLC, under contract with the US Department of Defense to provide weapons training to the Afghan National Army. Also on Thursday, the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries responded to an announcement earlier this week by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that his government would file lawsuits against Blackwater, now known as Xe Services, in both US and Iraqi courts for its involvement in the deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians in September 2007 in Baghdad's Nisour Square. Chairperson Shaista Shameem called for accountability, urging US and Iraqi authorities to cooperate in order to avoid a "situation where no one would be accountable for grave human rights violations," despite Coalition Provisional Authority Order 17 of 2004, granting immunity from prosecution for foreign contractors operating in Iraq. On Wednesday, Blackwater settled seven federal civil lawsuits brought by Iraqi civilians alleging that the company had created a reckless culture that resulted in numerous deaths. The settlement came just a week after after a US judge dismissed charges against five guards indicted for their involvement in the Nisour Square killings. Judge Richardo Urbina of the US District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed voluntary manslaughter and weapons charges against the five guards, finding that statements were obtained in violation of the Constitution. The five defendants pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and weapons charges last January. The guards were indicted in December 2008 on charges of voluntary manslaughter, attempt to commit manslaughter, and using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. A sixth guard pleaded guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter and attempt to commit manslaughter for his role in the same incident. The Blackwater incident caused domestic outrage in Iraq and has prompted legal controversy in the US.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on January 08, 2010 (boomark / email).