U.S.-drafted Provisional Authority regulations shield contractors from Iraqi laws

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The Iraqi government said it will file criminal charges against employees of security firm Blackwater USA who were involved a gun battle in Baghdad in which civilians were killed, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said Sunday.
Members of a private security company pose on the rooftop of a house in Baghdad earlier this month.
The official said the charges will come within a week.
It is not clear how Iraqi courts will attempt to bring the contractors to trial.
The Iraqi government has no authority over private security firms contracted by the U.S. government, according to a July report from the Congressional Research Service.
Order 17 from the Coalition Provisional Authority appears to shield security contractors from Iraqi laws.
It states, "Contractors shall be immune from Iraqi legal process with respect to acts performed by them pursuant to the terms and conditions of a Contract or any sub-contract thereto."
The Iraqi government claims the private contractors, who were guarding a U.S. diplomatic convoy, killed as many as 20 civilians.
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