Blackwater guards lose bid to appeal charges in Iraqi civilian shooting case

Source: The Guardian

Blackwater guards lose bid to appeal charges in Iraqi civilian shooting case

Supreme court declines to review ruling that guards would be
criminally charged for role in shooting that killed 17 civilians

Ryan Devereaux in New York
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 5 June 2012 21.55 BST

One of the highest-profile prosecutions stemming from the Iraq war period is to go ahead after the US supreme court refused to dismiss manslaughter and weapons charges against four employees of the private security company Blackwater Worldwide.

Supreme court justices declined to review a ruling by a US appeals court that reinstated the criminal charges against the guards for their involvement in the incident, in which 17 Iraqi civilians died and 20 were wounded.

The so-called Nisour Square massacre was the single bloodiest incident involving American private security contractors during the Iraq conflict. It outraged Iraqis, put severe strain on relations between Baghdad and Washington, and served as a watershed moment in the debate surrounding private fighters in foreign war zones.

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Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/05/blackwater-guards-lose-appeal-iraq-shooting