Justice Served: US Jury Holds CACI Accountable for Abu Ghraib Torture Allegations

A federal jury in Virginia delivered a groundbreaking decision that has been applauded by human rights activists globally, holding a U.S. military contractor accountable for the torture of three detainees at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison during the U.S. invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq in the early 2000s.

The jury mandated that CACI Premier Technology compensate each of the three Iraqi plaintiffs with $3 million in compensatory damages and $11 million in punitive damages, culminating in a total of $42 million. This ruling marks the first instance where a civilian contractor has been legally deemed responsible for the mistreatment of Abu Ghraib detainees.

The case against CACI was initiated in 2008 by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) on behalf of plaintiffs Suhail Al Shimari, Asa’ad Al Zuba’e, and Salah Al-Ejaili. It was argued that CACI officials collaborated with U.S. military personnel to subject the plaintiffs to torture and other serious offenses.

CCR highlighted on Tuesday:

The lawsuit was brought under the Alien Tort Statute, a 1789 federal law that permits foreign nationals to pursue remedies in U.S. courts for certain breaches of international law. This verdict is the culmination of 16 years of legal battles, over 20 motions by CACI to dismiss the case, and a prior trial where the jury deadlocked. This case is historic as it’s the first where survivors of U.S.-inflicted post-9/11 torture testified in an American court. It also included testimonies from U.S. generals, CACI employees, and former military police involved in the abuse.

“Today marks a significant day for myself and for justice,”
expressed Al-Ejaili. “I have awaited this day for a very long time.”

“This triumph is not just for us three plaintiffs against the corporation,” he continued. “This victory serves as a beacon of hope for all those oppressed and stands as a stern warning to any company or contractor engaged in various forms of torture and maltreatment.”

Baher Azmy, CCR’s legal director, stated, “Our clients have valiantly fought for 16 years to obtain justice for the atrocities they suffered at Abu Ghraib, overcoming the numerous obstacles this powerful private military contractor set up to evade accountability for its role in this disgraceful chapter of American history.”

“We are moved by our clients’ bravery and the impact of their testimony in court, and we appreciate that the jury recognized the truth of their accounts over CACI’s diversions,” Azmy added. “We thank the jury for providing our clients the justice they sought in a United States court.”

Abu Ghraib, like Guantánamo Bay, became synonymous with U.S. torture practices under the Bush administration amid the global war on terror post the September 11, 2001 attacks. The prison gained international infamy when photos depicting U.S. soldiers torturing and abusing detainees, both alive and deceased, were leaked and published in 2004, displaying the soldiers smiling during the abuse.

A 2004 investigation led by U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Anthony Jones and Maj. Gen. George Fay revealed that CACI employees were complicit in and encouraged the torture at Abu Ghraib.

The investigation also found that employees from CACI and Titan Corporation (now L3 Technologies) not only participated in torturing detainees but also encouraged U.S. soldiers to do the same. Numerous detainees at Abu Ghraib died while in U.S. custody, some directly due to torture. The forms of torture included rape, dog attacks, forced consumption of pork, and coerced renunciation of Islam.

A separate U.S. Army report determined that the majority of Abu Ghraib prisoners were wrongfully detained, with estimates from the Red Cross suggesting that 70-90% of the prisoners had been detained in error. Women were also held as leverage to compel suspected militants to surrender.

Eleven lower-ranking U.S. soldiers were convicted and sentenced for their roles in the Abu Ghraib abuses. Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, the commanding officer at the prison, was demoted. No high-ranking military officers were held accountable for the misconduct. Moreover, senior officials from the Bush administration, who had approved many of the “enhanced interrogation techniques” used at Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo Bay, falsely denied knowledge of the torture, and none were held responsible.