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    • Defense contractor ordered to pay million to Abu Ghraib torture victims
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    Defense contractor ordered to pay $42 million to Abu Ghraib torture victims

    Harry Posted on

    Three men tortured at Abu Ghraib following the US military’s invasion of Iraq have won a $42 million lawsuit against a defense contractor in a Baghdad prison.

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    Three former Abu Ghraib prisoners won a $42 million judgment Tuesday against an American defense contractor in connection with electrocution, beatings and other abuse they allege they suffered at the notorious prison run by the U.S. military after the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

    The jury awarded the sum to journalist Salah Al-Ejaili; Secondary school principal Suhail Al Shimari; and Asa’ad Zuba’e, a fruit vendor. The men had sued defense contractor CACI Premier Technology. According to the plaintiff’s filings in federal court, each was held in the Baghdad prison’s “hard court” where CACI interrogators ordered the men to be tortured.

    The decision ends a long legal saga dating back to 2008, when the case was filed in the Eastern District of Virginia. CACI will have to pay $3 million in compensatory damages and $11 million in punitive damages per man.

    American prison officials have come under fire for mistreatment at the prison outside Baghdad that the United States took over from Saddam Hussein’s regime. “The photos and reports of abuse led to multiple military investigations into Abu Ghraib, which documented widespread mistreatment of detainees. Leaked photos of the abuse show American guards beating, sexually assaulting, and using attack dogs on prisoners in handcuffs.”

    A dozen military personnel have filed criminal charges for their involvement, but Tuesday’s verdict marks the first time private contractors have been found responsible for torture at Abu Ghraib.

    The end of the 16-year case comes as prosecutors aim to bring to light perhaps the most prominent case of the period. Khalid Sheikh MohammedThe mastermind behind the September 11 attacks is also coming to an end. Muhammad and his co-conspirators could face criminal charges in the case starting in January, according to the Office of Military Commissions.

    Al-Ejaili and lawyers from the Center for Constitutional Rights representing the Abu Ghraib trio celebrated the decision at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

    “It’s hard to find the words I want to use right now,” said the journalist, who was detained by US forces while reporting for Al Jazeera. “But I can say that we have won a great victory. . . This is a big day even for America; “We have finally achieved justice for some Abu Ghraib detainees.”

    All three men were eventually released from the infamous prison without charges.

    In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, CACI vehemently denied any involvement in any wrongdoing at the notorious prison.

    “For nearly two decades, CACI has been inadvertently subjected to a long-term, negative association with the unfortunate and reckless actions of a group of military police,” a spokesman said. “The individuals responsible for this horrific act were court-martialed and punished for crimes committed more than a decade ago.”

    CACI employees were working as interrogators at Abu Ghraib. The company said it planned to appeal the decision.

    “To be clear: no CACI employee has been charged criminally, civilly or administratively in this matter. The company stated that CACI employees were not involved in these disturbing events and that none of our employees were responsible.

    Electrocution, beatings, and other abuse

    The three Iraqi men were imprisoned at the harsh site of Abu Ghraib in the fall of 2003, where they were subjected to “brutal torture,” according to the federal lawsuit.

    Zuba’e was imprisoned in the harsh region for nearly a year. The lawsuit states that the guards subjected the fruit vendor to all kinds of mistreatment. They beat his genitals with a stick; stripped and kept naked; and was kept in solitary confinement for a year.

    According to the lawsuit, middle school teacher Al Shimari was kept in a cage. He was also electrocuted and threatened with dogs. Al-Ejiali also suffered similar harassment.

    Al-Ejiali was released in February 2004; Zuba’e in October 2004; and Al Shimari in March 2008. None of them were charged with a crime.

    Their mistreatment is only a small part of the horrific acts inflicted on Iraqi civilian detainees. 2004 investigation of Major General Antonio Taguba It revealed a range of horrors, including widespread sexual assault, beatings and humiliation of detainees.

    According to the lawsuit, CACI interrogators played a significant role in the abuse.

    “The evidence unequivocally showed that this private military contractor, CACI, was central to organizing, ordering, participating in, and perpetuating torture and other forms of ill-treatment in the harsh region of Abu,” said Baher Azmy, legal director of the Constitutional Rights center. Garib prison.”

    The lawyer won with the centuries-old law: ‘Today America shines’

    The case, in which prosecutors filed the case on behalf of three Iraqi men, dates back to 1789 and was once used to try pirates who kidnapped French ambassadors.

    Attorney Shereef Akeel filed the unprecedented lawsuit under the Alien Torts Act, a 1789 federal law that allows aliens to seek justice in U.S. courts for various violations of international law. It was enacted to promote good will on behalf of America and is still on record.

    Akeel said the centuries-old law has been effective in going after bad actors at Abu Ghraib who have so far evaded investigation. “The only people who got away with this were the contractors,” he said. Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network.

    The case brings to light some of America’s most horrific crimes in modern history. But Akeel said the decision was an example of progress.

    “This is incredible. America is shining today,” Akeel said shortly after the landmark decision was announced. “The jury sent a message to the world: If you work for America, respect for humanity is universal, whether you are an American or a citizen of another country.”

    The decision confirmed his belief in America’s ideology. “This is a testament to what we are all about and how good we can be,” Akeel said, emphasizing: “The point of this case is to show that even if you are tortured in Iraq, the law of America will reach people and arrest them.” responsible.”

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