Federal Jury Finds US Contractor Guilty of Torture at Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq
A federal jury has ordered U.S. defense contractor CACI International to pay $42 million in damages for its role in torturing detainees at Abu Ghraib prison during the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The verdict, delivered on Tuesday, marks the first time a civilian contractor has been held legally accountable for the infamous abuse scandal that shocked the world in 2004.
The Virginia-based company was found liable for the torture of three Iraqi men — Suhail Al Shimari, Salah Al-Ejaili, and As’ad Al-Zuba’e — who testified that they suffered beatings, sexual abuse, forced nudity, and other forms of cruel treatment while detained at the prison in 2003 and 2004. The jury awarded $14 million in damages to each plaintiff.
CACI International, which provided civilian interrogators to the U.S. military at the facility, has expressed disappointment in the verdict and announced plans to appeal. The Center for Constitutional Rights, which represented the plaintiffs, hailed the decision as a historic moment for holding private contractors accountable for human rights violations.
The abuses at Abu Ghraib came to light in 2004 when graphic photographs showed U.S. military personnel smiling and posing with prisoners forced into degrading positions. The detainees reported physical and sexual assaults, electric shocks, and mock executions. Military investigations concluded that CACI interrogators had directed soldiers to “soften up” detainees before questioning, leading to systemic abuse throughout the prison.
The three plaintiffs, who were eventually released without charges, alleged that CACI’s actions contributed directly to their suffering. Their case highlighted the broader consequences of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, which was based on false claims that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. The invasion resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and drew widespread international condemnation.
While former President George W. Bush later admitted that no weapons of mass destruction were found, he was never held legally accountable for the war or its associated atrocities. This ruling against CACI represents a rare moment of accountability amid the long shadow of the Iraq War.
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