Rev. Danny Fisher

The U.S. State Department and the Bush Administration are rightly under fire today for giving immunity to the Blackwater USA security contractors responsible for the shooting deaths of seventeen Iraqi civilians in September.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, who sits on two Senate panels that oversee the State Department and the Justice Department, called the immunity deal an example of “the amnesty administration.”

The offer for limited immunity has delayed the government’s criminal inquiry of the shootings that enraged the Iraqi government, and threatens to derail prosecution as investigators seek other evidence from the crime scene now six weeks cold.

“In this administration, accountability goes by the boards,” said Leahy. “That goes equally for misconduct and for incompetence. If you get caught, they will get you immunity. If you get convicted, they will commute your sentence.”

This does not have to be tolerated. Join Amnesty International in demanding accountability for Blackwater. By signing your name to this petition, you do the vitally important thing of asking Blackwater to take their human rights responsibilities seriously and to cooperate with Iraqi and US investigations.

This is neither the first time nor an isolated incident of Blackwater personnel using lethal force against Iraqi civilians.

Sign your name to Amnesty’s petition here.