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Tell Senate: Hold Blackwater Accountable
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Progressive Portal
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Oct 17, 2007 00:16 PDT
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SECURITY CONTRACTOR ACCOUNTABILITY ACT WOULD MAKE BLACKWATER
AND OTHER PRIVATE GUARDS ACCOUNTABLE FOR ACTIONS IN IRAQ
[From Amnesty International USA <http://www.amnestyusa.org>]
As the United States continues to wage the "war on terror," it has
increasingly outsourced key security and military functions,
particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan, to private companies such as
Blackwater USA. But, despite the growing use of contractors, the systems
for awarding contracts and holding these firms accountable for their
actions remain decentralized and unclear.
In this environment, serious allegations of contractor involvement in
human rights violations -- including the torture at Abu Ghraib and
hundreds of shootings, sometimes lethal, of Iraqi civilians -- have
emerged, yet Bush Administration officials have made virtually no effort
to hold contractors accountable or compensate victims.
The September 16, 2007 lethal shootings of Iraqi civilians by Blackwater
employees points out once again the need for accountability of
contractors operating in conflict zones, and Congress is responding.
Representative David Price (D-NC) has introduced the Military
Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA) Expansion and Enforcement Act
of 2007. It
* clarifies U.S. jurisdiction to prosecute contractors of all U.S.
agencies operating near a conflict area;
* establishes an FBI unit to investigate incidents of use of force by
contractors; and
* requires the Department of Justice to report on how it is handling
cases of contractor crime.
The bill was resoundingly passed in the House on 4 Oct 2007 by a 389-30
vote. Senator Barack Obama then introduced companion legislation in the
Senate, the Security Contractor Accountability Act of 2007 (S. 2147).
Take Action
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Help ensure that companies hired by the U.S. government do not continue
to enjoy immunity for serious human rights violations. Ask your Senators
to support the Security Contractor Accountability Act of 2007:
http://tinyurl.com/36dysu
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