A federal jury in Virginia has ordered U.S. military contractor CACI Premier Technology to pay $42 million to three Iraqi men tortured at Abu Ghraib prison. This landmark verdict, coming after 16 years of litigation, marks the first time a civilian contractor has been held legally responsible for the abuses at Abu Ghraib.

Justice and Accountability for Iraqi Victims

Baher Azmy, legal director for the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represented the plaintiffs, said, “This lawsuit has been about justice and accountability for three Iraqi men — our clients, Salah, Suhail and Asa’ad — who exhibited just awe-inspiring courage and resilience.”

CACI was hired by the U.S. government in 2003 to provide “expert interrogators” at Abu Ghraib. According to Azmy, CACI sent unqualified individuals who took control and ordered military police to “soften up” detainees.

The verdict includes $3 million in compensatory damages and $33 million in punitive damages for each plaintiff. Azmy noted, “The jury saw right through CACI’s deflection and finally held them responsible for the egregious and reckless conduct.”

One of the plaintiffs, Salah Al-Ejaili, previously described his experience on Democracy Now!, saying, “These interrogations that happened every two or three days would last for an hour, an hour and a half or two hours, in this manner. The details of the interrogations were different. In some cases, they would bring dogs, then start the interrogation. But, of course, all the interrogations were conducted while you were kept naked and hooded, and they’d ask you questions to which you answer. I stayed for 40 days in a solitary cell, and 70% of that time I was kept naked.”

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These abuses included sexual assault, rape, the deployment of attack dogs, sleep deprivation, extended isolation, manipulation of diet, induced hypothermia, simulated executions, and humiliation.

The case highlights the ongoing efforts to seek accountability for human rights abuses in the global war on terrorism. While this verdict represents a small victory, it’s a significant step towards justice for victims of torture at Abu Ghraib.

Read more at Democracy Now!