Iraqi Judge says Blackwater CAN be tried in Iraq for it's crimes

[ck4829]

US security firm Blackwater could be tried in an Iraqi court over a shootout in a Baghdad neighbourhood which killed eight people, a top judge told AFP on Tuesday.

"This company is subject to Iraqi law and the crime committed was on Iraqi territory and the Iraqi judiciary is responsible for tackling the case," said Abdul Sattar Ghafour Bairaqdar from Iraq's Supreme Judiciary Council, the country's highest court.

On Monday, Iraq's interior ministry ordered the cancellation of Blackwater's operating licence after the company's guards who were escorting US officials were involved in a shootout which killed eight people and wounded 13.

The judge said the case against Blackwater could be filed either by the relatives of the victims or by the government.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5injjDUO8jITi25kkgpIiHyeZRRFw

[ThomCat]

1. Awesome! Finally, they are not above the law!

First they couldn't be held to military justice because they aren't part of the military.
Then they couldn't be held to U.S. law because they weren't in the U.S.
Then they couldn't be held to Iraqi law because they were part of the U.S. presence in Iraq.

It was like Cheney dancing to be outside of every branch of the government to be immune to all rules and regulations that pertain to any branch.

You have to be subject to some kind of oversite and accountability. You can't be beyond the reach of all law.
x(

[angrycarpenter]

3. B+C will slap them down

In spite of complaints that the Iraqi government will not stand up for itself the real president of Iraq will make them drop it.

[Bucky]

2. These Iraqis are taking this whole sovereignty thing too far.

I mean, who the hell do these legislators think they are, just passing any old law in their country that a voting majority approves of? What the hell was going through this fanatical judge's mind when he just magically decided, wallah, Americans have to follow the laws in his country? Doesn't he know that... um... well...

9-11 changed everything!!!

[Disturbed]

4. Iraq has a Prime Minister. The Pres. is a mere figure head.

Iraq also has two VPs. It is a Parliamentary System.

I don't hold out hope for that Iraqi Judge to be alive much longer.

[MissWaverly]

5. I thought this all along

methinks, we did not have many translators over there or state department employees who are fluent in modern standard Arabic
let alone Iraqi arabic which 60% of the people speak there so while the Iraqi parliament was meeting and passing laws how do we know what laws are in effect?