US Defense Contractor Must Pay Former Iraqi Detainees $42 Million Over Abu Ghraib Torture: Jury

An Iraqi man waits for the release of his relative detained in the Abu Ghraib prison, near Baghdad, Iraq, on May 21, 2004. Wathiq Khuzaie/Getty Images

A Virginia jury on Nov. 12 awarded $42 million in damages to three Iraqi civilians who were tortured at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, Iraq, more than two decades ago, after finding a U.S. defense contractor liable for its role in the abuse.

The jury ordered CACI Premier Technology Inc. to pay each of the three plaintiffs, Suhail Al Shimari, Salah Al-Ejaili, and Asa’ad Al-Zubae, $3 million in compensatory damages and $11 million in punitive damages, amounting to $42 million in total.

The verdict marked the first time a civilian contractor was held legally responsible for the torture at the prison.

The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed in 2008 against the Virginia-based company on behalf of three men alleging they endured horrifying abuse at Abu Ghraib prison, roughly 20 miles west of Baghdad, between 2003 and 2004.

According to the plaintiffs, CACI Premier Technology was hired by the U.S. government following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and its civilian employees worked at the facility assisting with interrogations.

Reports of alleged widespread torture and abuse of prisoners held by U.S. forces at Abu Ghraib during the 2003 Iraq war first emerged more than 20 years ago, when leaked photos appeared to show detainees being forced into humiliating positions, including a naked human pyramid.

The photographs showed U.S. troops smiling, laughing, and giving thumbs up as prisoners endured abuse.

Then-President George W. Bush later apologized for the torture at the prison, which he said became “a symbol of disgraceful conduct by a few American troops who dishonored our country and disregarded our values.”

The Center for Constitutional Rights, which represented the plaintiffs alongside legal firms Patterson Belknap and Akeel Valentine, said the three men—a middle school principal, a fruit vendor, and a journalist—were held at the “hard site” of the prison, which is where the most severe abuses allegedly occurred.

All three men suffered longstanding physical and emotional effects, according to the Center for Constitutional Rights. The three men were not charged with any crimes by the United States and were eventually released.

The lawsuit against CACI Premier Technology was brought under the Alien Tort Statute, a 1789 federal law that allows non-U.S. citizens to bring civil actions regarding certain violations of international law before U.S. courts, even if the alleged events occurred outside of the country.

A separate jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision in April, prompting the latest retrial with a new jury.

In a statement welcoming the verdict, Al-Ejaili called it a victory for himself and the other plaintiffs in the case.

“This victory is a shinning light for everyone who has been oppressed and a strong warning to any company or contractor practicing different forms of torture and abuse,” he said. “Those companies should no longer feel exempt from accountability moving forward. I offer my thanks to my legal team and everyone who helped us during the long journey to this moment.”

The Center for Constitutional Rights said the case “delivers a rare measure of justice to survivors of the U.S. government’s post-9/11 torture regime, which extended from Guantanamo to Iraq and Afghanistan to secret prisons around the world.”

“With today’s verdict, private military and security contractors are put on notice that they can and will be held accountable when they breach the most fundamental international law protections—like the prohibition against torture—and fail to comply with their contractual and regulatory obligations to ensure their employees follow the law,” Senior Staff Attorney Katherine Gallagher from the Center for Constitutional Rights said. “For 20 years, CACI has refused to take responsibility for its role in torture at Abu Ghraib. The jury’s verdict makes clear CACI’s role in this shameful part of our history.”

CACI denied that its employees engaged in torture at Abu Ghraib prison. On Tuesday, the company vowed to appeal the verdict, which it called “disappointing.”

A CACI spokesperson said the company 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 from 2003 through 2004.”

The Epoch Times contacted a spokesperson for CACI for further comment but received no reply by publication time.

Reuters contributed to this report.