Jury Decides US Defense Contractor Responsible For Torture In Abu Ghraib Prison

Illustration. (Unsplash/Hédi Benyounes)

JAKARTA - The federal jury on Tuesday ruled that US defense contractor CACI International was responsible for its role in torture at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad during the Iraqi war, ordering compensation of 42 million US dollars (Rp660,781,514,400).

The jury's ruling said the Virginia-centric company was responsible for the torture of Iraqis in prison in 2003-2004, ordering it to pay each of the three plaintiffs US$14 million in damages, according to the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents the plaintiffs, in a statement.

Tuesday's verdict marks the first time a civilian contractor has been legally responsible for the torture at the prison.

Torture of prisoners detained by US forces during the Iraqi war at the facility was a scandal during the administration of former President George W. Bush, after photos of prisoner torture emerged in 2004.

The photos show US troops smiling, laughing, and giving a thumbs up as prisoners are forced into a position that injures, including the pyramid of naked humans and sex simulations.

Prisoners said they experienced physical and sexual torture, electric shocks, and fake executions.

CACI denies its employees being involved in the torture, saying it will appeal Tuesday's ruling, calling it disappointing. CACI employees work as interogators in the prison based on contracts with the US government.

Three Iraqi plaintiffs, Suhail Al Shimari, Salah Al-Ejaili and As'ad Al-Zuba'e, said the CACI interogators would direct military personnel to "reinforce" detainees before they were interrogated, leading to torture in all of these facilities.

The plaintiffs were finally released without charges.

A CACI spokesman said the company had "fligately been targeted by long-term negative affiliations with unfavorable and reckless actions from a group of military police officers in the Abu Ghraib prison from 2003 to 2004."