Retrial begins in civil suit against contractor accused in Abu Ghraib prison scandal

Associated Press

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A military contractor accused of contributing to the abuse of detainees at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison two decades ago is again on trial in a federal courtroom after a long-awaited civil case earlier this year ended with a hung jury. The retrial of the lawsuit against Reston, Virginia-based CACI began Wednesday with jury selection and opening statements. Three former detainees at Abu Ghraib sued CACI in 2008. They allege civilian interrogators at the prison in 2003 and 2004 conspired with soldiers there to abuse detainees as a means of “softening them up” for questioning. CACI has long denied wrongdoing. The company says any liability for detainees’ mistreatment belonged to the government, not CACI.