Marta Hurtado, spokesman of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed concern in Geneva on the 23rd local time that US President Trump recently used presidential power to pardon four employees of the former “Blackwater” security company convicted of killing 14 Iraqi civilians.
Hurtado pointed out that the four people who were pardoned were sentenced to 12 to life imprisonment, including first-degree murder.
Pardons for these people will lead to more impunity, which will encourage others to commit the same crimes in the future.
Urtado said that by investigating these crimes and completing legal procedures, the United States has fulfilled its obligations under international law.
Victims of serious violations of human rights and serious violations of international humanitarian law have the right to compensation, including the right to see the perpetrators punished commensurate with the gravity of their acts.
Hurtado calls on the United States to reaffirm its commitment to combat impunity for serious violations of human rights and serious violations of international humanitarian law and to abide by its obligation to ensure accountability for such crimes.
The four security personnel opened fire on unarmed civilians in a heavy traffic area in the Iraqi capital Baghdad in September 2007, killing 14 civilians, including two children, and injuring 18.
