September 16, 2007 (2007-09-16) 12:00 pm (UTC+03:00)
Attack type
Massacre War crime
Deaths
17
Injured
20
Perpetrators
Blackwater contractors
Convicted
Dustin Heard (pardoned)
Evan Liberty (pardoned)
Nicholas Slatten (pardoned)
Paul Slough (pardoned)
Jeremy Ridgeway
Verdict
Guilty
Convictions
Slatten: First-degree murder
Heard, Liberty, Slough:
Voluntary manslaughter (14 counts)
Attempted manslaughter (20 counts)
Weapons violation
Ridgeway: (1 count each)
Voluntary manslaughter
Attempted manslaughter
Aiding and abetting
Sentence
Slatten: Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole Slough: 15 years in prison Liberty: 14 years in prison Heard: 12+1⁄2 years in prison Ridgeway: 1 year and 1 day in prison
The Nisour Square massacre occurred on September 16, 2007, when employees of Blackwater Security Consulting (now Constellis), a private military company contracted by the US government to provide security services in Iraq, shot at Iraqi civilians, killing 17 and injuring 20 in Nisour Square, Baghdad, while escorting a U.S. embassy convoy.[1][2][3] The killings outraged Iraqis and strained relations between Iraq and the United States.[4] In 2014, four Blackwater employees were tried[5] and convicted in U.S. federal court; one of murder, and the other three of manslaughter and firearms charges;[6] all four convicted were controversially pardoned by President Donald Trump in December 2020.[7][8] U.N. experts said the pardons "violate U.S. obligations under international law and more broadly undermine humanitarian law and human rights at a global level”.[9]
Blackwater guards claimed that the convoy was ambushed and that they fired at the attackers in defense of the convoy. The Iraqi government and Iraqi police investigator Faris Saadi Abdul stated that the killings were unprovoked.[10][11] The next day, Blackwater Worldwide's license to operate in Iraq was temporarily revoked.[12] The U.S. State Department has said that "innocent life was lost",[13] and according to The Washington Post, a military report appeared to corroborate "the Iraqi government's contention that Blackwater was at fault".[14] The Iraqi government vowed to punish Blackwater.[15] The incident sparked at least five investigations, including one from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.[16] The FBI investigation found that, of the 17 Iraqis killed by the guards, at least 14 were shot without cause.[17]
^Tavernise, Sabrina (September 18, 2007). "U.S. Contractor Banned by Iraq Over Shootings". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
^Johnston, David; John M. Broder (November 14, 2007). "F.B.I. Says Guards Killed 14 Iraqis Without Cause". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
^Devereaux, Ryan (June 5, 2012). "Blackwater guards lose bid to appeal charges in Iraqi civilian shooting case". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
^"U.S. troops in Iraq will need immunity: U.S. chief". Reuters. August 2, 2011. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
^Apuzzo, Matt (October 1, 2014). "Jurors' Note Hints at Conviction in Blackwater Case". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
^Apuzzo, Matt (October 22, 2014). "Former Blackwater Guards Convicted in Iraq Shooting". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 1, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
^Wamsley, Laurel (December 23, 2020). "Shock And Dismay After Trump Pardons Blackwater Guards Who Killed 14 Iraqi Civilians". NPR. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
^Haberman, Maggie; Schmidt, Michael S. (December 23, 2020). "Trump Pardons Two Russia Inquiry Figures and Blackwater Guards". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
^"Trump pardon of Blackwater Iraq contractors violates international law - UN". Reuters. December 30, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
^Von Zielbauer, Paul (October 7, 2007). "Iraqi Inquiry Says Shooting Was Unprovoked". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
^"Blackwater guards fired unprovoked: Iraq police evidence". Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
^"Pentagon Dispatches Investigators to Iraq to Probe Private Security Contractors". Fox News. September 26, 2007. Archived from the original on November 2, 2007. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
^"Joint Iraqi-U.S. review begins in wake of Blackwater firefight". CNN. October 8, 2007. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 8, 2007.
^Cite error: The named reference ReutBW-105 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Iraq determined to rein in private security guards". Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
^"FBI Opens Probe into Blackwater". ABC News. Archived from the original on November 1, 2007. Retrieved October 8, 2007.
^Johnston, David; Broder, John M. (November 14, 2007). "F.B.I. Says Guards Killed 14 Iraqis Without Cause". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
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