WASHINGTON – A US federal jury on Nov 12 found American defence contractor CACI International liable for its role in torture at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad during the Iraq war and ordered it to pay US$42 million (S$56.2 million) in damages.
The jury’s verdict found the Virginia-based company liable in the torture of Iraqi men at the prison in 2003-2004 and ordered it to pay each of the three plaintiffs US$14 million in damages, the Centre for Constitutional Rights, which represented the plaintiffs, said in a statement.
The Nov 12 verdict marks the first time a civilian contractor has been held legally responsible for the torture at the prison.
The torture of prisoners held by US forces during the Iraq war at the facility became a scandal during former President George W. Bush’s administration after pictures of the abuse emerged in 2004.
The photos showed US troops smiling, laughing and giving thumbs-up as prisoners were forced into humiliating positions including a naked human pyramid and simulated sex. Detainees said they endured physical and sexual abuse, infliction of electric shocks and mock executions.
CACI denies its employees engaged in torture and said it will appeal the verdict, calling it disappointing. CACI employees worked as interrogators at the prison under contract with the US government.
The three Iraqi plaintiffs – Suhail Al Shimari, Salah Al-Ejaili and As’ad Al-Zuba’e – said CACI interrogators would direct military personnel to “soften up” detainees before they were questioned, leading to abuses across the facility.
The plaintiffs were eventually released without charge.
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 US invasion of Iraq, which followed lies that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and killed hundreds of thousands, led to widespread global condemnation. REUTERS
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