democracy now

Charges Dismissed Against Blackwater Guard; Soldier Accused of Murdering Iraqi Teens

A former Blackwater guard has been acquitted for his criminal charges of firing the opening shots that led to a mass murder of 14 Iraqi civilian teens, including a nine year old boy. The judge, however, only dismissed the charges of Nicholas Slatten because a federal appeals court ruled that the charges had been filed after the statute of limitations had expired. In spite of this, prosecutors could now look for new charges before the June trial of three other Blackwater guards in the case. This decision only comes after an Army sergeant faced a possible court martial for the killing of two unarmed boy in Iraq in 2007. This week during a preliminary hearing, military prosecutors stated that Michael Barbera had shot and killed the two brothers who were only herded cattle. Additionally, the prosecutors stated that the two brothers posed no threat; therefore there was no need for them to be shot at in the first place. An earlier investigation that took place in 2009 actually found a letter received by Barbera. The letter was a letter of reprimand about accusations of a cover up.

http://www.democracynow.org/2014/4/25/headlines

Navy Reassigns Ex-Blue Angels Commander After Sexual Harassment Claim

Captain Gregory McWherter, a commander of the Navy's Blue Angels, has been reassigned after a sexual harassment charge has been filed against him. The former commander of an eminent flight squad is being investigated on statements that he supervised over extensive sexual harassment of an individual. Last week, the Navy broadcasted that they have relieved Captain Gregory McWherter from his most recent assignment s an executive officer on a base in the state of California. A military document was emailed on accident to an editor at The Washington Post which actually showed that an ex-squad member filed a complaint against Captain McWherter last month. McWherter is the most recent in a series of investigations of senior commanders who are being faced with sexual assault and sexual harassment charges in the military.

http://www.democracynow.org/2014/4/25/headlines      

-Alyssa Abayari