Slatten: Defendants have hope in appeal
/Christin Cavness Slough and Jess Slatten appear on Fox and Friends to talk about the convictions of the Raven 23 security team and their hopes for appeal. Watch the video here
www.freeraven23.com
This blog is dedicated to the documentation, publication, and discussion of the events of September 16, 2024 which resulted in the wrongful incarceration of four decorated servicemen.
Eric Prince: Blackwater guards have strong case for appeal
/Eric Prince, former CEO of Blackwater, talks about his position on the Raven 23 security team and their chances for appeal
Read MoreSlough: I did not - I could not - have killed your son
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Paul Slough addresses the court prior to sentencing on April 13, 2024 in Washington D.C. He points out evidence to the court that the ammunition that killed a 9-year old boy was black-tipped and not the ammunition that was issued to, or in the possession of Mr. Slough on September 16, 2024 in Nisur Square, Baghdad, Iraq.
Read MoreConvicted Blackwater Guards’ Families Respond to Sentencing
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The families of the four convicted guards, highly-decorated veterans who vehemently maintain their own innocence, are gravely disappointed that the judge did not accept their argument that the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment renders the sentences imposed unconstitutional. While still upholding the weapons charge with a 30 year mandatory minimum, the Judge did exercise his discretion to provide the most lenient sentence of thirty years and a day. The families of Paul Slough, Evan Liberty, and Dustin Heard still contend that upholding the mandatory minimum sentence is patently cruel and unusual in light of the complete lack of forensic evidence tying any defendant to any alleged victim.
Read MoreDefense team uncovers contradictions; claims perjury
/Today the Raven 23 defense team filed a motion to delay the sentencing of four security contractors based on material discrepancies found in an Iraqi Police Officer's trial testimony and victim impact statement.
Read MoreSupreme Court: Justice System Isn't Working
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More importantly, US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer testified that mandatory minimum sentences for specific crimes was a "terrible idea" and challenged Congress to "prioritize" improvements to the criminal-justice system.
Read MoreWhy Were They Even There?→
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I recently received a request to give a bit of background as to why they were in Nisur Square that day. Below, you will see the TOC log, which shows a VBIED had exploded on venue, where another Raven team was performing a diplomatic security mission.
Read MoreWhy Did the Administration Want Them in Prison?→
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One of the first posts we received when this page went "live" was a bit of a push-back on our statement that these men have been "persecuted by the Obama Administration". Their point was that the incident occurred in 2007, prior to Obama being elected. This brings up a great point. While the first prosecution did go forth under President Bush, Judge Ricardo Urbina dismissed the case against the men on December 31, 2009, after he left office.
Read MoreMurder Charge with NO Evidence?→
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Over the next weeks, I'm going to try to give you bits and pieces of a very long, complex story. This piece is about Nick Slatten.
Read MoreHow Can I Help? The Long Version→
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Want to know how you can help these four men? Keep reading to see how you can get involved in the fight TODAY.
Read MoreNO Jurisdiction→
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The emotional part of this case lies in the self-defense issue. To suggest that the men of Raven 23 were wrong for returning fire in Baghdad cuts like a knife into the brave hearts of these men who put it on the line every day and managed to make it home.
The lesser emotional issue is the pure and simple legal issue of jurisdiction. It really is the cornerstone of the entire case.
Evidence "Handling"→
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I want to briefly tell you about the SR-25 rifle given to Nick Slatten.
When this incident turned into a full-blown investigation, they collected all of the Raven 23 weapons. The BW Armorer personally inspected Nick's rifle before he turned it over to the FBI. It functioned fine - no anomalies.
Oddly, when the FBI turned the rifle over to the lab to be tested, suddenly it wouldn't fire. When they finally got it to fire, they said it had a single-stage pull, instead of a double-stage pull.
FBI Decides What Is "Useless"→
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Evidence. This is a photo of recovered evidence. The FBI said evidence like this was basically useless, and dismissed because it was weathered and clearly couldn't have been "fresh" (freshly-fired is apparently the same thing to these "experts"), and supported that bit of creative theory with testimony from a witness who said it hadn't rained in Baghdad for quite some time.
Read MoreBasics of Reasonable Doubt→
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Evidence. Examine this diagram prepared by the government. (Ignore the markings and legend for the purposes of this post.)
Read MoreDrone Footage→
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Evidence. Both of these pictures are stills of drone footage on Sept. 16, 2007. First, look at the time stamps on both. The photo on the left is stamped "8:34," the one on the right "8:43." That's a difference of 9 minutes.
Read MoreMore Photo Evidence→
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Photo evidence. The truck on the left is the Command Vehicle in which Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Nick Slatten were riding. The enlarged portions of the photo show the size of, and nearly perfectly round, holes/dings received during the engagement. Everyone who knew what they were talking about immediately identified the marks as evidence of incoming rounds. The government, however, in furtherance of their theory (in agreement with the Iraqis) that we did NOT take incoming, put forth evidence and experts who theorized that these marks were made by blowback from our own 203 rounds (which are incendiary and spray tiny '"frags" or tick tack sized fragments) fired at the white car.
Read MorePhoto Evidence
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Photo evidence. This photo represents 1) proof of incoming fire; 2) proof of an Iraqi cover-up; and 3) a glaring Brady violation committed by the DOJ. This was not, and never has been, a "massacre of innocent, unarmed Iraqi citizens."
These are actual exhibits and testimony excerpts from the trial.
Read MoreVBIED Attacks - Proximity is Key→
/Car bombs, or VBIEDS, have been and still are a real threat in the world. People are shocked when they see the destroyed white car that was at the center of this incident. In the story below, you learn that a VBIED went off "while a school bus was passing." Proximity... Proximity decides whether you live or you die.
Read MoreEvidence Collection
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We've all seen enough drama TV to know that securing an area after an event is critical. Evidence must be preserved, witnesses must be isolated, etc. Some have suggested that there was no way for this area to have been secured for the preservation of evidence.
