Abu Ghraib: Recognizing 15 years since the release of images of Iraqi torture victims
April
28 marks fifteen years since media outlets published scores of graphic
images depicting egregious human rights abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison
in Iraq. The images reveal the extent to which military police,
interrogators, and interpreters were willing to employ cruel, degrading
unlawful interrogation methods against Iraqi detainees. These photos
outraged the country – and the world – and led to military
investigations that brought to light "sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses" by U.S. soldiers and government contractors.
The
Center for Constitutional Rights, with a small team of private lawyers,
brought a series of civil lawsuits against the two contractors, L-3
Services Inc. (formerly Titan Corporation and now Engility) and CACI
International Inc. Our cases, on behalf of hundreds of Iraqi plaintiffs,
demand accountability and redress for acts of torture and other serious
violations of international law arising out of the U.S. invasion of
Iraq. We settled one case on behalf of 71 former detainees, Al Quraishi v Nakhla and L-3 Services, in 2012, and lost another, Saleh v Titan,
in a 2-1 decision, with now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in
the majority and Judge Merrick Garland writing a forceful dissent.
Fifteen
years later, we continue to litigate the last of these cases on behalf
of three Iraqi civilians held at the Abu Ghraib "hard site", Al Shimari, et al. v. CACI Premier Technology.
This month, mere days ahead of the anniversary of the revelation of Abu
Ghraib photographs, it seemed that our clients would finally get their
day in court. Instead, on the eve of trial, CACI filed another appeal
(the fifth in this case), which led to the suspension of our trial date.
The case is moving forward and briefing before the Fourth Circuit Court
of Appeals is underway.
The Center for Constitutional
Rights and plaintiffs are undeterred and continue to forge ahead towards
trial, for reasons best stated by Plaintiff Salah Al Ejaili in a
recent interview with the Independent:
"If the court rules in our favour it would be a clear message for any
company or officials that torture will not be tolerated...I am not doing
this for a grudge, I am doing it to get justice. And not just for me,
for everyone."
Survivors deserve to have their stories
heard and to see CACI held accountable for its role in torture and other
human rights violations at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Justice requires
truth and accountability. We will continue to fight.
Today, instead of looking back at the dehumanizing photos out of Abu Ghraib, please visit photographer Chris Bartlett's site, to see the photos he took of some of our plaintiffs.
Want to know more about Abu Ghraib? Have a listen to episode 13 of our podcast The Activist Files where Legal Director Baher Azmy and Senior Staff Attorney Katherine Gallagher discuss
our case against private military contractor CACI Premier Technology,
Inc., for its role in torture and other abuse at Abu Ghraib.
Recap: How we took on the Muslim Ban with Samantha Bee
Earlier this year, Samantha Bee, the host of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, traveled to Djibouti with the Center for Constitutional Rights Staff Attorney Diala Shamas to
meet with seven Yemeni-American families who were stuck in limbo
because their visas were denied as a result of the Trump
administration's Muslim Ban.
The episode that resulted was a six-minute unmasking of
the discriminatory policies that currently plague the visa application
process. In the episode, Bee concludes that the only consistently
successful recourse for families with frozen applications is increased
media attention. She ends the program with a call to action to the media
urging that they do their part to reunite the Yemeni-American families
who have been ensnared by Trump's Muslim Ban.
Since the
airing of the episode, three of the seven families interviewed have seen
their visas granted. Each of the families had been waiting for months
and in some cases years to receive their visas. The remaining four
families still await approval from the State Department.
As
stated by Diala, "Whether or not you're reunited with your family
shouldn't depend on your ability to make it on prime time
television." She adds the fact that three families were granted visas
"underscores the arbitrariness of the process, and the Department of
State's ability to process a waiver swiftly and safely if they put their
minds to it."
While we celebrate the positive outcome
for the three families, we must also remember that thousands of
Yemeni-Americans are still exposed to abusive immigration practices and
Muslim profiling under the administration's Muslim Ban. As of April
2019, only six percent of 37,000 visa applications were approved for
waivers.
Read more about the effort to reunite Yemeni-American families on our resource page or this reporting by the Washington Post.
FREECOME FLICKS: The Feeling of Being Watched @ BAM (5/1) & The Silence of Others @ Film Forum (5/10)
Freedom
Flicks is the Center for Constitutional Rights' long-running film
series, harnessing the power of film to educate, activate, and build
community. Our Spring Season is in full swing, with two May screenings
in the queue: The Feeling of Being Watched on May 1 and The Silence of Others on May 10.
All
of our programs include screenings of cutting-edge, socially-engaged
films accompanied by a discussion with the storytellers, lawyers, and
activists on the frontlines of these struggles.
The Feeling of Being Watched @ BAM (5/1)
This Wednesday, the Center for Constitutional Rights, in partnership with the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), will present The Feeling of Being Watched, directed by journalist and filmmaker Assia Boundaoui. Join us after the screening for a discussion with Omar Farah,
Senior Staff Attorney, Center for Constitutional Rights and filmmaker
Assia Boundaoui, moderated by Darnell Moore. Tickets go fast, so make
sure to get yours! Tickets can be purchased at BAM's website. Use discount code BAMCCR19 for BAM member ticket price.
In
the Arab-American neighborhood outside of Chicago where Assia Boundaoui
grew up, most of her neighbors believed they were under government
surveillance for over a decade. In this stunning documentary, Boundaoui,
a journalist and filmmaker, conducts a comprehensive investigation to
corroborate their worst fears. The Feeling of Being Watched is an
attempt to shine a light on a secret FBI operation to surveil one
American community. Unearthing tens of thousands of pages of government
documents, Boundaoui connects the dots to one of the largest
counter-terrorism investigations conducted in the U.S. before 9/11. In
the process, she confronts long-hidden truths about the FBI's
relationship to her own community, grappling with the new knowledge of a
lifetime of surveillance on herself and her family.
The Silence of Others @ Film Forum (5/10)
Next, the Center for Constitutional Rights will be partnering with the Film Forumto bring to you The Silence of Others,
a powerful story of victims and survivors who, to this day, demand
justice for violence committed during Spain's 40-year-long dictatorship
under General Franco.
A
cautionary tale about fascism and the dangers of forgetting the past,
Emmy-winning filmmakers Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar follow a
movement that begins in a kitchen and evolves into a groundbreaking
international lawsuit, bringing together hundreds of victims and
survivors who have broken Spain's "pact of silence." Filmed over six
years, The Silence of Others raises profound questions about how
societies grapple with legacies of state violence and what to do with
perpetrators of crimes against humanity in their midst.
Stick
around after the 7:00 pm screening for a talk back with filmmaker
Almudena Carracedo and Center for Constitutional Rights Senior Staff
Attorney Katherine Gallagher.
Get tickets on the Film Forum website. Use code JUSTICE for discounted tickets.
