Abu Ghraib ex-detainee files 'torture' lawsuit against US military contractors
Mike Rosen-Molina at 4:27 PM ET
A former Iraqi detainee filed a lawsuit against two private US military contractors Monday alleging that he was tortured tortured while held at the Abu Ghraib prison [JURIST news archive] in Iraq in 2003, according to AP. Emad al-Janabi said that employees of CACI International and L-3 Communications [corporate websites], who work as interrogators for the US military, physically abused him and often left him chained naked in his cell over the course of his 10-month stay at the prison. He also alleges that the contractors conspired to hide evidence of torture from International Red Cross inspectors and military and government officials. AP has more.
Last year, US District Judge James Robertson refused to dismiss [order, PDF; JURIST report] a class action lawsuit [CCR materials] against CACI alleging torture. Robertson dismissed a similar lawsuit against military contractor Titan, saying that Titan's translators worked under the military's exclusive supervision and control. Robertson concluded, however, that "a reasonable trier of fact could conclude that CACI retained significant authority to manage its employees." An amended complaint [complaint, PDF; JURIST report] alleged that CACI International was allegedly responsible for the torture of more than 250 former detainees held in Iraqi prisons.
