From Center for Constitutional Rights

Dear Friends,

Many of you have been following news of the historic trial in Al Shimari v. CACI and have been with us on the 16-year journey to get to this moment. This case was filed in 2008 against Virginia-based corporation CACI Premier Technology, Inc., which was hired by the U.S. to provide interrogation services at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Our three clients, Salah, Suhail, and Asa'ad, were all held at the "hard site," an area of the Abu Ghraib prison where the most severe techniques were used in 2003-2004. Military investigations into the mistreatment of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib and other detention facilities led to the court-martial of a few low-level military personnel and documented the role CACI played in the torture. The case charged CACI with conspiring in and aiding and abetting the torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of our clients.

CACI tried to have the case dismissed more than 20 times, but because of the courage of our clients and the tenacity of our team, the case went to trial on April 15. Yesterday, after 8 days of deliberations following a six-day trial, a Virginia jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict, and the judge declared a mistrial.

"It is enough that we tried and didn't remain silent. We might not have received justice yet in our just case today, but what is more important is that we made it to trial and spoke up so the world could hear from us directly. This will not be the final word; what happened in Abu Ghraib is engraved into our memories and will never be forgotten in history. Every just person stands with us."  – Salah Al-Ejaili, plaintiff

Center for Constitutional Rights team with plaintiff Salah Al-Ejaili on the first day of trial

While we are disappointed with this outcome, we are so proud of our clients and all of the work that our team and our amazing co-counsel have put into this fight. After 20 years, the men who brought this case finally had the opportunity to share what they endured at Abu Ghraib through their testimony at trial – Salah, live in the courtroom in Alexandria, and Asa'ad and Suhail via video-link from Baghdad.

Last week marked exactly twenty years since news outlets first broke the story of horrific torture at the detention center made infamous by leaked photos that shocked the world. Our clients – and hundreds of other Iraqi torture survivors –- have been waiting two decades for some measure of justice. They intend to pursue their right to a retrial, and we are evaluating next steps.

As Senior Staff Attorney Katherine Gallagher notes, "Throughout this litigation, CACI has sought to deflect any responsibility for its role in the abuse at Abu Ghraib, claiming that because it was hired to work with the U.S. military, only the military bears any responsibility for the cruelty Iraqi detainees suffered there. This is not what the law says, and CACI must be held responsible for its employees' role in the abuses."

Learn more about the case and historic trial, and read some of the media coverage:

Press Release: Abu Ghraib Trial: Jury Fails to Reach Unanimous Verdict in Lawsuit Over Contractor's Documented Role in Torture
Justice for Abu Ghraib resource page
Al Shimari v. CACI case page
Stories by the Associated Press, New York Times and The Guardian.

The fight for justice continues.

Onwards,

The Center for Constitutional Rights team