Private Contractors In Iraq Could Face Charges For Earlier Incidents Under New Security Pact

Private security contractors operating in Iraq could face Iraqi prosecution for acts committed when they supposedly had immunity from Iraqi law, U.S. officials said Thursday.

A new U.S.-Iraq security agreement doesn't specifically prevent Iraqi officials from bringing criminal charges retroactively in cases such as the September 2007 shooting deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians by contractors protecting a State Department convoy, officials told security company officials during meetings in Washington Thursday.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[spiderbucket]

Jail the CEO. Liquidate the assets.

[likeicare]

Hopefully, Eric Prince at Blackwater, and whoever the creep(s) is/are at Dynacorps, will get their asses litigated off and they'll go bankrupt.

Revenge is sooooo sweet sometimes!

[11907281]

Cosmetics, that's all this would be. The state department will make sure anyone who was involved is flown out of the county, Bin Laden Family style. They will have a trial where the families at least get a sense of closure, but there will be no justice ... in this life.

[addisonsteele]

Why anyone still refers to these guys as "contractors" is a mystery. They are mercenaries, no better than the ones hired by tinpot dictators to launch coups and the like. Unfortunately, the Republican religious belief in the "free market" posits that they, as private parties, will perform their tasks more efficiently than government employees (i.e., the military), so that the government hires them by the thousands. Another reason General Hayden, who was instrumental in starting the whole privitization movement in the intelligence and security arms of the government, should never be employed by the government again.

[darthdarcy]

Murders will be prosecuted well that's interesting, hey what about the $14-17 billion that went missing got misplaced, seemed to sort of drift away...?

[christianmama4change]

I have zero empathy for contractors - they are mercenaries who have committed heinous acts and crimes against humanity. I read an article that most US soldiers resent them because they get blamed for their actions not to mention hitting pay dirt. Did we mention the Cheney connection and the no bid contracts? It is all such a dirty mess - time somebody paid for it.

[DrLawrence]

The incoming president could simply conscript the entire Blackwater force thus placing them under UCMJ. We could then save billions in pay and use Courts Martial to bring them to summary justice. It would take the private control of a standing army out of the hands of mercenary corporations and give our real soldiers say in what will happen to these yahoos. Making new uniforms and equipment would help stimulate the US eeconomy. And think of the fun in Congress.

[LHoney]

Sometimes it keeps me up at night wondering where 150,000 mercenaries will be heading after they are thrown out of Iraq. I don't think we want them back here do we??

[MissingAmerica]

Some of these contractors have committed heinous crimes against the Iraqi people and should stand trial. But the best way to ensure the safety of all is to end this illegal war, bring our troops home and put them where they are needed: Afghanistan fighting the Taliban and some directing civilian workers in the rebuilding of our own country, including the building of homes and levees in New Orleans!

[helonias]

Don't those Iraqi's want freedom, and the blood and gore that comes with it?

[aznurse]

Rachael Maddow said that the new rules also allow the Iraqi's to open our troops mail, inspect any shipments that they get and have say where the troops patrol. Lets just get them home.

[greatbear451]

Does this mean that Blackwater won't be able to smuggle weapons in dog food bags anymore?

[aznurse]

depends on if they're hidden under dog food bags filled with money.

[christianmama4change]

Let's see wouldn't the US do the same if Iraqi forces were occupying the US?

[BPCentrisAmerican]

Private war criminals.

[leatherneck1971]

You can bet Erik Prince will be worried when he travels abroad, if he does at all! He no doubt is going to be on a list of war criminals with Dick Cheney & company! Wouldn't want to be him for all the tea in China!

[JustADumbFireman]

That would be a beautiful thing.

[alexis d]

He and his ilk are a bigger threat to Democracy and to international stability than Saddam Hussein could ever have hoped to be. The sooner they're de-fanged, the better.

[Lemeritus]

As an aside on Erik Prince and his Blackwater empire, this from Calitics.com on 10/28:

"Andrew Sullivan notes today that one of the biggest financial supporters of the Yes on 8 campaign is Elsa Prince Broekhuizen, who has pumped $450,000 into the campaign. Broekhuizen is the mother of Blackwater founder and owner Erik Prince and Bush Pioneer Betsy DeVos. She"s also quite the patron of the religious right.

"At first blush, the two groups don"t have a whole lot in common besides neighboring real estate in the political spectrum. But as Blackwater continues its unwanted presence in San Diego (spawning aspirants to the throne in Hemet), Michigan resident Broekhuizen is just a big fish in the flood of out-of-state money trying to buy their way into a change to California"s constitution."

[Lemeritus]

As an aside to the aside, for your further consideration, from Democracy Now (via the Huffington Post) on 11/4:

"Max Blumental reports that the two biggest individual backers of Proposition 8 in CA are the mother of Blackwater founder Erik Prince and Howard Ahmanson.

"We all know Blackwater, but Ahmanson has two claims to fame. He was the MAIN FINANCIER OF ELECTION MACHINE COMPANY ES&S and he is also a raving Christian Reconstructionist, a member of the group that believes the country's laws should come from the bible, and that homosexuals, among others, should be executed.

"Oddly enough, the reconstructionists would probably execute Mormons too, which makes it odd that the Mormons are joining forces with him.

"Ahmanson is a billionaire and uses his money to support causes to limit personal freedom and establish a Christian theocracy in the US.

"Proposition 8 is not just some goofy proposition from a group of evangelicals. With Blackwater and Ahmanson onboard, it's truly scary."

[leatherneck1971]

United States is in position of Great Britan in its waning days of empire, the British elite, those who saw themselves as superior to other races, nations, did not accept this willingly, easily, but history is full of empires which ran rough shod over other lesser powerful nations, and time eventually changes the balances of power, nations rise and fall in power, many americans sick with gluttony of their self righteous worth in the world scene will unfortunately take this decline in a very poor manner, but no nation has ruled the whole world, not one has lasted forever, even the great Roman Empire which had a long run of 2000 years, finally collapsed, in fact many compare our decline to theirs, with our moral decay from inside! Blackwater is a mere cog in a wheel of american corporate greed, avarice, as we loose power, we will have less ability to control world events, resources etc, now one who thinks the international mercenaries cannot be prosecuted, arrested are fools, their very nature of their business makes them vulnerable to arrest on foreign soil, now if they retire, as the Bushites will and remain on USA soil they might avoid this prosecution, but if some enterprising mercernaries see them as fugitives and foreign nations put up bounties they might be kidnapped even on USA soil and spirited away in "rendition style" to some foreign nation for prosecution/execution"!

[fussygorilla]

Great! I hope they prosecute and punish these American mercenaries.

These mercenaries remind of the those who fought in the Crusades, for MONEY!

[ExpatinEurope2009]

Erik Prince should be in prison.

I get info from a reputable friend in Iraq that Blackwater has been doing much of the violence and pinning it on the Sunnis, Shiites, etc whatever suits their purpose of fomenting more division.

He is scared for his life for speaking openly about it.

[GhostofBillHicks]

Well,they might,but they won't...