Trump pardons four former Blackwater contractors. This is what they did in Iraq

With only four weeks left in his term, Trump has pardoned 20 individuals who had convictions ranging from fraud to drug distribution. Among those pardons are four former Blackwater World contractors who were convicted with the killing of Iraqi civilians in 2007.

Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard, were several of the contractors escorting a convoy through Nissour Sqaure in Baghdad when they opened fire, killing 14 unarmed civilians – two of which were young boys aged nine and 11, reported Urdu Point.

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They opened fire with machine guns, grenades and a sniper into the crowd on Sept. 16, 2007. Slatten was the first to open fire onto the crowd, with Slough, Liberty and Heard following suit, reported the Guardian.

“When the convoy attempted to establish a blockade outside the ‘Green Zone,’ the situation turned violent, which resulted in the unfortunate deaths and injuries of Iraqi civilians,” states a White House press release.

However, prosecutors argued that the contractors opened fire without provocation, while the four men maintained that they believed they were under attack, reported BBC.

“The pardon of these four veterans is broadly supported by the public,” stated the press release.

However, Mohammad Kinani, the father of the nine-year old boy named Ali who was killed in the massacre said Trump had “broke his life again,” reported BBC.

“Before [this] I felt that no-one [was] above the law.”

The UN Human Rights Office also expressed disagreement with Trump’s decision, with spokeswomen Martha Hurtado telling BBC “the UN Human Rights Office calls on the U.S. to renew its commitment to fighting impunity for gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law, as well as to uphold its obligations to ensure accountability for such crimes.”

Hina Shamsi, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project, said that Trump had “hit a disgraceful new low with the Blackwater pardons”.