Iraqi Prisoners Win $42 Million in US Torture Case

In a significant legal ruling, a jury awarded three former Iraqi detainees a total of $42 million. This decision held a US defense contractor, CACI Premier Technology, responsible for their torture at Abu Ghraib prison during the Iraq War. The former detainees, a middle school principal, a fruit vendor, and a journalist, suffered brutal mistreatment at the hands of the contractor's employees. They each received $3 million in compensatory damages and $11 million in punitive damages. The plaintiffs alleged that CACI, hired by the US government, deployed guards who abused prisoners, breaching international law. The case faced numerous dismissal attempts by the company over 16 years before finally going to trial. The company's lawyer attributed the abuse to a few US military police officers. The abuse at Abu Ghraib became infamous after leaked photographs showed detainees being humiliated and tortured. Salah Al-Ejaili, who sought asylum in Sweden, testified about enduring unbearable psychological torture under intense lights and loud music, making sleep nearly impossible. This verdict marked the first time survivors of the US post-9/11 torture regime testified in court, signaling a historic shift in accountability.