US Jury Finds Defense Contractor Guilty in Torture Case
A federal jury on Tuesday found Virginia-based defense contractor CACI International liable for the torture of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, ordering the company to pay $42 million in damages.
The decision holds a civilian contractor accountable for abuses at the prison, where US forces engaged in human rights violations during the Iraq War, for the first time. Each of the three Iraqi plaintiffs—Suhail Al Shimari, Salah Al-Ejaili, and As’ad Al-Zuba’e—was awarded $14 million, according to the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represented them.
During 2003-2004, CACI employees worked as interrogators at Abu Ghraib under a US government contract. Plaintiffs said CACI staff directed US military personnel to “soften up” detainees, resulting in physical and psychological abuse, including beatings, electric shocks, and mock executions.
Former inmates also described being forced to endure sexually charged mistreatment, and in 2004, images of US troops happily standing with naked detainees held at the facility sparked domestic outrage and international condemnation.
CACI, which denies its employees engaged in torture, called the verdict “disappointing” and vowed to appeal, asserting that it has been “wrongly subjected to negative affiliation” with the conduct of military personnel at the prison.
The abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib, which followed the 2003 US invasion of Iraq to depose longtime dictator Saddam Hussein, deeply affected perceptions of American ethical conduct at home and abroad, further harming the perception of US intervention following the post-9/11 War on Terror conflicts.
