Paul Slough, Evan Liberty, Donald Ball, Nick Slatten and Dustin Heard in 2008. The charges were later dropped against Ball.
Scott Snow / AP
Four former Blackwater guards are set to get long sentences for their role in the shooting death of 14 innocent Iraqis in 2007, a federal court judge said, according to the AP.
Nicholas Slatten was convicted of first-degree murder and was facing a possible life sentence. Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty and Paul Slough were convicted of firearms offenses and faced decades-long sentences. The Justice Department dropped charges against a fifth former Blackwater employee, Donald Ball.
The men were convicted for their roles in a shooting incident at Nisoor Square, a traffic circle in Baghdad. Fourteen people were killed and 17 were injured, prosecutors said in court filings. The extended families of the victims – which included men, women, and children – "suffered immeasurably that day and in the weeks and years to follow," prosecutors said in a sentencing memo.
As the AP reported:
Prosecutors have described the shooting as an unprovoked ambush of civilians, though defense lawyers countered that the men were targeted with gunfire from insurgents and Iraqi police, and shot back in self-defense.
Mohammad Kinani Al-Razzaq, who lost his son, Ali Mohammed Hafedh Abdul Razzaq, addressed the court Monday. A photo of his son was displayed on the courtroom monitors, AP said. Al-Razzaq said American soldiers died "because of what Blackwater did."
The incident caused international outrage, and led to criticism of how private security outfits working for the government operate in conflict zones.
"What's the difference between these criminals and terrorists?" Razzaq said, according to AP.
The government argued that the men should receive strict sentences because the "defendants have shown no remorse for their actions. Indeed, the defendants have not accepted responsibility for their criminal actions whatsoever and, to this day, have denied any wrongdoing."
Their lawyers said tough sentences wouldn't take into account the fact that the defendants had to work in a very stressful environment.
Here's the government's sentencing memo:
LINK: Four Blackwater Guards Found Guilty Of Killing 14 Iraqis In 2007
LINK: Blackwater Founder Blames "Anti-War Left" For The Convictions Of Guards Who Killed Iraqi Civilians
LINK: Blackwater Founder Erik Prince Pitched Private Fighting Force To Nigeria For War Against Boko Haram
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://www.buzzfeed.com/tomnamako/judge-says-blackwater-guards-will-get-long-sentences-for-kil?utm_term=4ldqpia
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