War Room

Iraqi sues U.S. military contractors

A man who claims he was held at Abu Ghraib for almost a year has filed a lawsuit against two firms, saying he suffered physical and mental torture while imprisoned.

On Monday, Emad al-Janabi, an Iraqi man, filed a federal lawsuit against two U.S. military contractors; al-Janabi claims he was tortured while imprisoned at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. The suit, which was filed in Los Angeles, is directed at CACI International Inc. and L-3 Communications, as well as a former CACI contractor, Steven "Big Steve" Stefanowicz.

According to the Associated Press, al-Janabi says he was detained by U.S. troops during a late-night raid, and that he and his family were beaten at the time. He also says he was held in Abu Ghraib for 10 months. A statement put out by a firm with lawyers representing al-Janabi says that "during a surprise inspection of Abu Ghraib, the International Committee of the Red Cross discovered Mr. Al-Janabi naked, chained and bruised in a cell in the 'hard site' of the prison. He was a so-called 'ghost detainee' who was intentionally hidden from the Red Cross on subsequent inspections and held without appearing on the prisoner lists."

According to a list given in the statement, in his complaint al-Janabi alleges that he was:

  • Subjected to physical and mental torture in sessions where the defendants acted as interrogators and translators
  • Transported to a detainee site in a wooden box and covered with a hood
  • Scarred on his face when his eyes were clawed by an interrogator
  • Exposed to a mock execution of his brother and nephew, and told by defendant translators that he would be executed or crushed by a helicopter or a tank
  • Hung upside down, with his feet chained to the steel slats of a bunk bed until he lost consciousness, and hung by his arms
  • Repeatedly deprived of food and sleep
  • Threatened with dogs

Politics in the news

Loading...

About War Room

War Room is written and edited by Alex Koppelman, with contributions from Salon reporters around the country.

Currently in Salon