US Jury Finds Military Contractor Liable for Abu Ghraib Prison Abuse

Facts

• Three former detainees of the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq were on Wednesday awarded a total of $42M in damages after a US jury found a military contractor liable for the abuse and torture they endured.^[1]
• Plaintiffs Suhail Al Shimari, Salah Al-Ejaili, and Asa’ad Al-Zubae — a middle school principal, a journalist, and a fruit vendor — were each awarded $3M in compensatory damages and $11M in punitive damages after they testified that they were subjected to beatings, sexual abuse, and other cruelty at the prison.^[2]
• The finding against CACI Premier Technology in the US district court of Alexandria, Virginia, marks the first time a military contractor was found liable for the torture at Abu Ghraib. It came after an earlier jury failed to reach a verdict, resulting in a mistrial.^[3][4]
• Lawyers for the plaintiffs did not argue that CACI interrogators inflicted the abuse themselves but argued that CACI was complicit because its interrogators conspired with US military police to "soften up" detainees with cruel treatment before questioning.^[1]
• Baher Azmy, the legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which first brought the litigation in 2008, said that he and his team were "enormously gratified" that their clients were able to tell their stories and receive justice.^[5]
• In a statement in which it said it would appeal the ruling, CACI said it "has been wrongly subjected to long-term, negative affiliation with the unfortunate and reckless actions of a group of military police at Abu Ghraib prison," adding that its staff didn't take part in the abuse, weren't responsible, and were never charged.^[1]

Sources: ^[1]Associated Press, ^[2]Al Jazeera, ^[3]Common Dreams, ^[4]Middle East Eye and ^[5]The Dissenter.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by The Dissenter. This is a landmark win for Iraqi torture survivors who resiliently fought their case for 16 years despite relentless efforts by CACI to absolve itself of its complicity in the crimes. This ruling sends a clear signal that contractors will be held responsible for abuses of human rights.
• Narrative B, as provided by Associated Press. CACI has been wrongly affiliated with the reckless actions of US military police. The firm did not take part in the abuse and played no role in facilitating it. This is proven by the fact that no court has ever charged CACI employees with such conduct. This was the wrong decision by the jury and will be appealed.