A U.S. federal judge ordered a retrial on Saturday regarding allegations against "CACI Premier Technology," based in Virginia, for its involvement in the abuse and torture of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison nearly two decades ago. According to a report from the American legal news site, "Law.com," federal judge Leonie Brinkema approved the prosecution's request for a new trial, following a civil trial earlier this year in which an eight-member jury could not reach a unanimous verdict, a requirement in federal civil cases.
The report highlighted that the case against "CACI Premier Technology" is linked to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, which led to the establishment of U.S.-run prisons that hired companies like "CACI" to provide interrogation services at key detention sites such as Abu Ghraib. The American report noted that the lawsuit was filed in 2008 based on the so-called "Alien Tort Statute," allowing foreign citizens to file lawsuits in U.S. federal courts for serious violations of international law.
The report pointed out that the plaintiffs detained at Abu Ghraib include Suhail Al-Shammari, Asad Al-Zawbai, and Salah Al-Ajeeli, whose claims describe their exposure to harsh interrogation methods, leading to allegations that the American company is complicit in conspiracy to commit torture and war crimes.
Conversely, the company claims that the evidence presented against it does not support a ruling against it, arguing that its defense procedures in the case were hindered by the U.S. government's assertion of state secrets, preventing the submission of certain classified evidence.
Moreover, the company's defense argues that it should not be held responsible for the actions of its employees while they were under U.S. military authority based on the "hired workers" principle, asserting that its contracting work does not impose liability for the conduct that took place in Iraq under an American contract, even if that conduct is found to be illegal.
The report noted that these arguments are part of over 20 attempts by the company to quash the case since its initial filing, mentioning that the case has been appealed in the Fourth Circuit Court five times, and when those attempts failed, the company sought a review from the Supreme Court, which was denied.
According to the American report, this ongoing case against the American company is one of many legal actions against private military contractors accused of mistreating detainees, including lawsuits against "Titan Corporation" and "CACI" for their roles in the alleged abuses at Abu Ghraib, in addition to actions against "Blackwater" involved in incidents such as the Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad.
The "Law.com" report concluded that many of these cases face similar legal challenges, particularly regarding employment-related dismissals due to national security concerns and the complexities of applying U.S. law to actions committed in war zones.
