Uncertainty for Iraqis as Troops Withdrawal and Private Contractors Remain
JURIST Guest Columnist Leila Sayed-Taha, DePaul University College of Law Class of 2012, currently works as a translator for Ace Languages Centre, where she aids asylum seekers at the Immigration Advisory Service. Here she discusses the ongoing issue of immunity...
Blackwater settles last lawsuit in 2007 Baghdad shooting incident
Blackwater , now known as Academi , reached a confidential settlement agreement Saturday with survivors and families of victims in a 2007 shooting incident in the Nisour Square area of Baghdad that left 17...
Mercenary regulation necessary to protect human rights: UN report
The United Nations Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries released a report on Tuesday claiming that the increase in the use of private military and security companies raises human rights challenges and should be...
US top military official says troops need immunity for continued presence in Iraq
Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff , Admiral Mike Mullen , said Tuesday that US troops must be granted immunity in order to remain in Iraq beyond the end-of-the-year deadline. It is up to the...
UN calls for international regulations on independent security contractors
The UN Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries on Friday proposed international legislation to create mechanisms for prosecuting contractors and mercenaries when they violate the law. The Chairman of the UN Working...
Convicted ex-Blackwater contractor sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for manslaughter
A former contractor for Blackwater , now known as Xe Services , was sentenced Monday to two-and-a-half years in prison for the 2009 shooting of an unarmed Afghan civilian in Kabul. Justin Cannon was...
Blackwater guards challenge reinstatement of manslaughter case
Four former security guards for Blackwater , now known as Xe Services , on Monday filed a petition challenging an appeals court ruling that reinstated a manslaughter case against them. The suit revolves around...
Federal appeals court reinstates case against Blackwater guards
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Friday reinstated a case against four former Blackwater employees involved in the September 2007 shootings of 17 Iraqi civilians [JURIST...
Ex-Blackwater contractors convicted of manslaughter for Afghan shootings
Two former Blackwater contractors were convicted Friday of involuntary manslaughter in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia for their role in the May 2009 shooting deaths of two...
Federal judge rules Blackwater shooting suit can proceed in state court
A judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina ruled Wednesday that a lawsuit against Blackwater , now known as Xe Services , can proceed in state court. The...
