Abu Ghraib torture victims win case against private contractor

A federal jury on Tuesday ordered US defense contractor CACI International to pay $42 million in damages to three plaintiffs for its role in torture at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad during the Iraq war.

Tuesday's verdict marked the first time a civilian contractor was held legally responsible for the torture at the prison after a 15-year legal battle. 

CACI denies its employees engaged in torture and said it will appeal Tuesday's verdict, calling it disappointing. CACI employees worked as interrogators at the prison under contract with the US government.

The three Iraqi plaintiffs - Suhail Al Shimari, Salah Al-Ejaili and As'ad Al-Zuba'e - said CACI interrogators would direct military personnel to "soften up" detainees before they were questioned, leading to abuses across the facility.

The torture of prisoners held by US forces during the Iraq war at the facility became a scandal during former President George W. Bush's administration after pictures of the abuse emerged in 2004.

The photos showed US troops smiling, laughing and giving thumbs up as prisoners were forced into humiliating positions including a naked human pyramid. Detainees said they endured physical and sexual abuse, infliction of electric shocks and mock executions.

The US invaded Iraq in 2003 after falsely accusing its government of hiding weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people displaced millions. It has been condemned globally and was one of the most protested conflicts to date.