Abu Ghraib: Iraqi victims’ case against US contractor ends in mistrial
Al Jazeera
Three survivors sued the company CACI in civil court for abuses committed at the hands of US soldiers and contractors inside the prison.
The trial was a historic attempt at justice, marking the first time victims of the abuse that took place at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq testified in front of civilian jurors in the United States.
But on Thursday, the judge overseeing the civil case in Virginia declared a mistrial, as the jury was unable to overcome a deadlock after eight days of deliberation.
The trial focused on the human rights abuses committed at the prison following the US’s invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq.
Reports of abuse started to emerge in 2003 and later hit a fever pitch in 2004, with the release of photographs showing smiling US captors standing next to naked prisoners, posed in degrading positions.
The images became emblematic of the fallout of Washington’s so-called “global war on terror”. Calls for justice have continued two decades later.
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