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Trump erased the sentences of four Blackwater guards convicted over the Nisur Square killings

Superseded evidence record · Open correction

Reporting and findings

  1. convicted
    Superseded · open corrected record

    The four Blackwater guards had been convicted in U.S. federal court of first-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter and related offenses arising from the Nisur Square shooting, which DOJ said killed 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians and injured 18.

  2. documented
    Superseded · open corrected record

    Trump granted full pardons to Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty, and Dustin Heard on December 22, 2020.

  3. reported
    Superseded · open corrected record

    U.N. experts described the pardons as an affront to justice and said they violated U.S. obligations and contributed to impunity for the underlying conduct.

Summary and current status

Trump granted full pardons to Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty, and Dustin Heard. U.S. juries had convicted them of murder or manslaughter offenses tied to the 2007 Nisur Square shooting, where the Justice Department said 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians were killed. U.N. experts condemned the pardons as an affront to justice and contrary to U.S. obligations; that assessment was not itself an international criminal judgment.

People and organizations

Relationships in this file

  2. Donald J. Trumpgranted full pardon toEvan Shawn Liberty
  4. Donald J. Trumpgranted full pardon toPaul Alvin Slough

Recorded outcomes

  1. otherNon-cash outcome

    Full presidential pardons granted to four Blackwater guards convicted in the Nisur Square case.

Figures

  1. Unarmed civilians killed in underlying convicted conduct14 people killed
    Calculation details
    Basis
    Observed
    Population
    Unarmed Iraqi civilians DOJ said were killed in the September 16, 2007 Nisur Square shooting underlying the federal convictions
    Period
    2007-09-16 to 2007-09-16
    Method
    Casualty count stated in DOJ's verdict release after trial.
    Uncertainty
    Historical harm tied to the pardoned convictions; it is not counted as a civilian-death metric caused by a Trump-directed military operation.
  2. Pardon recipients4 people
    Calculation details
    Basis
    Observed
    Population
    Blackwater guards named in the December 22, 2020 clemency announcement for the Nisur Square case
    Period
    2020-12-22 to 2020-12-22
    Method
    Count of named pardon recipients in the official clemency announcement.
    Uncertainty
    Complete for this single clemency action; not a count of all conflict-related pardons.