The Facts

• Three former detainees of the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq were on Wednesday awarded a total of $42M in damages after a US jury found a military contractor liable for the abuse and torture they endured.

• Plaintiffs Suhail Al Shimari, Salah Al-Ejaili and Asa’ad Al-Zubae — a middle school principal, a journalist and a fruit vendor — were each awarded $3M in compensatory damages and $11M in punitive damages after they testified that they were subjected to beatings, sexual abuse, forced nudity and other cruel treatment at the prison.

• The finding against CACI Premier Technology in the US district court of Alexandria, Virgina, marks the first time a military contractor was found liable for the torture at Abu Ghraib. It came after an earlier jury failed to reach a verdict, resulting in a mistrial.