A jury awarded three Iraqi prisoners held at Abu Ghraib prison $42 million for their mistreatment at the hands of U.S. service members in the early 2000s.
The lawsuit filed 16 years ago claimed that Virginia-based CACI, which contracted interrogators to the United States military, is to be held to blame for the sexual abuse and torture that the prisoners experienced.
CACI was contracted by the United States in 2003 and 2004.
While the plaintiff’s lawyers did not allege that the interrogators engaged in the abuse themselves, the lawyers assert that the interrogators had conspired with the military police in an effort to “soften up” the detainees.
Suhail Al Shimari, Salah Al-Ejaili, and Asa’ad Al-Zubae were awarded $3 million each in compensatory damages and $11 million each in punitive damages.
“Today is a big day for me and for justice,” Al-Ejaili said in a written statement. “I’ve waited a long time for this day. This victory isn’t only for the three plaintiffs in this case against a corporation. This victory is a shining light for everyone who has been oppressed and a strong warning to any company or contractor practicing different forms of torture and abuse.”
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Al-Ejaili had testified in person that he was deprived of sleep, forced to wear women’s underwear, threatened with dogs, and put into stress positions that caused him to vomit.
This is the second trial for the lawsuit after a previous jury this year couldn’t decide if CACI should be held liable.