Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Monday he would launch lawsuits in the United States against Blackwater for the company’s role in the 2007 Nisoor Square massacre that killed seventeen Iraqi civilians. Last week a federal judge in Washington threw out all charges against the five Blackwater operatives. Maliki said Iraq won’t abandon its right to punish Blackwater.

Nouri al-Maliki: “There is an objection by the US Department of Justice about the court sentence. We also took the necessary measures to protect the souls of our citizens and bring those who committed the crime to justice. We have formed committees and filed a complaint against Blackwater. Whether in the United States or in Iraq, we will not give our rights up.”