| Accountability for Blackwater's hired guns |
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Last week we were shocked to find out that two Armenian women became the latest victims of the ongoing violence in Iraq. The security guards that shot and killed them were part of a privately contracted security firm. This was the second shooting of civilians involving a heavily armed security fim linked to U.S. government-financed work in Iraq in less than a month. Yet there's no one holding these guys accountable for their actions. Below I copy a message from Amnesty International who is partnering with Working Assets' ActForChange to urge the Senate to make private military contactors in Iraq accountable for their actions. Please read the message below and take action. Imagine you are driving or walking through Nisour Square, Baghdad. Suddenly repeated shots come from vehicles protecting a US convoy. Your sister or your father now lay bleeding and dying in the street. It makes it even more painful to know that, even if they were unprovoked, the guys with the guns might never see a day in court, let alone spend a day in jail, for what they have done. Yet that's what could happen with Blackwater employees who, after reportedly firing shots that killed at least 11 Iraqis, might never face criminal charges because loopholes in US law mean that civilian contractors are practically free to treat Iraq and Afghanistan like the Wild West. Congress is trying to do something about this. One bill has already been passed in the House and its companion is awaiting a Senate vote. Take action now and tell your senators to support the Security Contractor Accountability Act to make sure this doesn't happen again. Visit Act For Change and let you voice be heard today! |
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