Sunday, August 17, 2008

Nissor Square Shooters Might be Charged in U.S. Court

The Washington Post had a story today (Justice Dept. Moves Toward Charges Against Contractors in Iraq Shooting) that suggests the Department of Justice (DOJ) might actually try to overcome the great legal difficulties of putting on trial some of the Blackwater crew that fired up Nissor Square in Baghdad last September, killing 16 Iraqi citizens.

That's going to be quite a challenge. Just finding a U.S. law to charge anyone under will be difficult enough. The story quotes an optimist suggesting the DOJ might try pretending that Blackwater was sort of, kinda, almost in a way, a Defense Department rather than State Department contractor, since then there would be a clear basis for charges. Maybe it will, and maybe DOJ will find a judge and jury willing to pretend along with it. But I wouldn't bet on that.

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