On December 22, US President Trump pardoned 4 Blackwater Worldwide contractors, who were prosecuted and convicted of multiple criminal acts in IraqThe pardons granted to four convicted private security contractors for war crimes in Iraq violated United States' obligations under international law, a group of United Nations experts said on Wednesday. They called on all States parties to the Geneva Conventions to condemn the pardons, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. “Pardoning the Blackwater contractors is an affront to justice and to the victims of the Nisour Square massacre and their families,” said Jelena Aparac, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on the use of mercenaries. The Geneva Conventions oblige States to hold war criminals accountable for their crimes, even when they act as private security contractors. These pardons violate US obligations under international law and more broadly undermine humanitarian law and human rights at a global level.

Source: Dhaka Tribune December 30, 2020 09:44 UTC