Trial in Al Shimari v. CACI (April 2019)
March 29, 2019
"We will have our day in court and the story of Abu Ghraib will be told by me and other men who lived – and – survived it."
—Plaintiff Salah Al-Ejaili
Three Iraqi torture survivors will finally have their day in court. After over eleven years of litigation, Center for Constitutional Rights clients go to trial against CACI Premier Technology, a private US military contractor that provided interrogation services at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. We hope you will join us and our co-counsel in Alexandria, Virginia for this historic trial, and help uplift the case and our clients’ stories throughout the trial.
Please check back here for updates on the schedule and how to show your support for torture survivors, human rights, and corporate accountability.
Case background
This case is part of the Center for Constitutional Rights' effort to bring accountability for torture and other serious violations of international law arising out of the so-called “war on terror” and invasion of Iraq.
Al Shimari v. CACI is
a federal lawsuit brought by CCR on behalf of Suhail Al Shimari, Asa’ad
Zuba’e, and Salah Al-Ejaili, three Iraqi torture victims against
U.S.-based government contractor CACI Premier Technology, Inc. The
lawsuit asserts that CACI directed and participated in illegal conduct,
including torture, at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq where it was hired
by the U.S. to provide interrogation services. Plaintiffs were all held
at the “hard site” in Abu Ghraib prison in 2003-2004. U.S. military
investigators long ago concluded that CACI interrogators conspired with
U.S. soldiers, who were later court martialed, to “soften up” detainees
for interrogations. A U.S. Army general referred to the treatment as “sadistic, blatant, and wanton.”
A number of low-level military officers were court-martialed over their
roles in the abuse, but CACI has gone unpunished and continues to reap
millions of dollars in government contracts.
The case was filed in 2008. For eleven years, our clients have been seeking justice and now they will have their day in court.Court information
What: Trial in Al Shimari v. CACI
Where:
US District Court for Eastern District of Virginia, Albert V. Bryan
U.S. Courthouse, 401 Courthouse Square, Room 700, Alexandria, VA 22314
When:
Trial is scheduled to begin on April 23, 2019 and we expect it will run
through the following week. Check back here for updates on the trial
schedule.
**Please note that electronic devices are
not permitted in the courtroom, and the court cannot store them. Members
of the public will also need to pass through a security check prior to
entering the court.**
Learn more about the case
- Profile of Plaintiff Salah Hassan Al-Ejaili
- Democracy Now! Interview with Salah on his torture at Abu Ghraib
- Factsheet: Accountability for Torture by Private Military Contractors
