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The four men, namely Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard, who worked in Iraq in 2007, were convicted of killing 14 Iraqi civilians in crimes condemned at the international level. ( Also read: Afghanistan asks Indonesia to become a facilitator for the Asian Ulama Meeting )
National Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Nihad Awad, said the decision lacked respect for the US legal system and the sanctity of human life, especially the lives of Muslims and people of color.
“These Blackwater mercenaries are convicted of committing one of the most notorious war crimes of the American occupation of Iraq. Pardoning them is an unreasonable act of moral insanity,” Awad said, as reported by Anadolu Agency on Thursday (24/12/2020).
Earlier, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry urged the US to reconsider its decision to grant amnesty to the four. ( Also read: The Human Rights Council slams Trump for Forgiving the perpetrators of the Baghdad Massacre )
“The ministry believes that this decision does not take into account the seriousness of the crimes committed, and unfortunately ignores the dignity of the victims as well as the feelings and rights of their families,” he said.
“The ministry will follow up the matter with the US government through diplomatic channels to urge it to reconsider the pardon decision,” he continued.
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