Blackwater in Iraq was a Department of State contractor and they walked away from crimes with impunity – Erik Prince Blackwater founder is now employee of Saudi Arabia – accountability for contractors and mercenaries that plan or manage criminal violence against the people of Bahrain

Senate Judiciary Committee Passes Bill on U.S. Civilian Contractor Accountability Abroad
For Immediate Release: June 23, 2011

Washington, D.C.— Today, the Senate made significant strides in closing a pernicious accountability gap for private contractors who commit serious crimes while deployed abroad. The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed the Civilian Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (CEJA), S.1145, designed to hold civilian contractors to the same standards of accountability as Defense Department contractors and service members.

While U.S. troops are held to account under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and private contractors who work in support of DoD’s mission are subject to the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, there is an open question of whether civilian contractors not contracted by DoD or working in support of DoD’s mission can be held to account under any jurisdictional statute.

The current ambiguity under U.S. law can lead to absurd results that run counter to our national security and foreign policy interests. In certain circumstances, a U.S. contractor may commit a serious crime like rape or murder with impunity if he happens to work for the State Department rather than the Defense Department, for example. …more