The civilians employed by Caci were accused by the three Iraqis of having encouraged American soldiers to commit abuses on prisoners who were to be interrogated. Most of the abuses were committed at the end of 2003 when employees from Caci worked at the prison located outside Baghdad in Iraq.
Headmaster Suhail Al Shimari, fruit vendor Asa'ad Zuba'e, and journalist Salah Al-Ejaili will each receive 14 million dollars, equivalent to approximately 145 million kronor, in damages.
Special law
Their case was brought by an organization for constitutional rights in the USA. The case could be pursued through a law that makes it possible for non-American citizens who have been tortured outside the USA to bring a case in an American court.
Caci's headquarters are located in the state of Virginia, and the trial was held in Alexandria in the same state.
"The victory means hope for all those who have been oppressed, and a powerful warning to all companies involved in various forms of torture and abuse", said journalist Al-Ejaili in a statement.
The verdict was delivered by a jury consisting of eight people, who replaced an earlier jury that could not agree on a verdict earlier this year.
Referred to Rumsfeld
Caci has claimed that the employees had followed the rules set by the then American Defense Minister Donald Rumsfeld. Caci's lawyer did not want to comment on the verdict on Tuesday.
But a representative for the rights organization Center for Constitutional Rights said that justice had been served:
For 20 years, Caci has refused to take responsibility for the company's role in the torture at Abu Ghraib, said lawyer Katherine Gallagher.
