US defense contractor ordered to pay $42 million over role in Abu Ghraib prison torture

A jury has ordered the Virginia-based defence contractor CACI International to pay $42 million in damages for its involvement in the abuse of detainees at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.

The plaintiffs were three Iraqi men including Salah Al-Ejaili, a journalist now living in Sweden, Asa’ad Al-Zuba’e, a grocery store owner from Iraq, and Suhail Al Shimari, an Iraqi middle school principal who claim they were tortured at Abu Ghraib prison nearly 20 years ago.

They testified that they were subjected to mistreatment at Abu Ghraib in November 2003, including being forced into uncomfortable positions, stripped naked, and threatened with dogs.

This is the first time a civilian contractor is being held legally accountable for the mistreatment of detainees at the prison, located near Baghdad, where US forces detained multiple Iraqis after the US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein.

Under a contract with the US government, CACI personnel worked as interrogators at Abu Ghraib. The company’s lawyers argued that none of their employees physically harmed detainees or participated directly in any abuse.

However, attorneys representing the Iraqi men alleged that CACI interrogators would direct military personnel to “soften up” detainees before questioning, which led to abuse.

"This is a remarkable moment of justice and vindication for our clients, who fought tirelessly for 16 years to be heard in a US court," Baher Azmy, an attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights, who represented the plaintiffs was cited saying by The Washington Post.

During closing arguments, Muhammad U. Faridi, another attorney for the plaintiffs, said that CACI managers in Virginia were aware of the abuse as early as 2003 and should be held responsible, similar to the Army personnel who were later convicted in military courts. "You saw regret and remorse from so many witnesses. … The only entity that has no regrets, no remorse, over what happened is CACI," Faridi stated.

Meanwhile, CACI’s attorney, John F. O'Connor Jr., argued in court that there was no record of Al-Ejaili’s (plaintiff) interrogation and that the testimonies of the plaintiffs were not backed by other witnesses. He described the plaintiffs as "props" in a "lawyer-driven case," adding that "no witness recalled any interaction with these plaintiffs."

The case against CACI was initially filed in 2008.

(With inputs from agencies)