ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — An Army general who investigated the abuse of prisoners 20 years ago at Iraq’s infamous Abu Ghraib prison testified Tuesday that a civilian contractor instructed prison guards to “soften up” detainees for interrogations.
The retired general, Antonio Taguba, told jurors that the contractor, Steven Stefanowicz, even tried to intimidate the general as he investigated the Abu Ghraib abuses.
“He would lean on the table staring me down. He did not answer questions directly,” Taguba said. “He was trying to intimidate me.”
Taguba’s testimony was the strongest evidence yet that civilian employees of the Virginia-based military contractor CACI played a role in the abuse of Abu Ghraib inmates.
Three former inmates at the prison are suing CACI in federal court in Alexandria, alleging that the company contributed to the tortuous treatment they suffered. The trial, delayed by more than 15 years of legal wrangling, is the first time that Abu Ghraib inmates have been able to bring a civil case in front of a U.S. jury.
Strictly star Giovanni Pernice's former partner Rose Ayling
Shoplifter chased by police on horses in New Mexico, video shows
New apps test AI chatbots to help mental health crisis
Allergy season arrived early in US. Here's why, what you can do
Storms damage homes in Oklahoma and Kansas. But in Houston, most power is restored
NASA satellite blasts off to survey oceans and atmosphere of warming Earth
NASA's final tally shows spacecraft returned double the amount of asteroid rubble
Posts misrepresent a photo of a Ukrainian soldier balancing on his prosthetic limbs
The government wants to buy their flood
Posts misrepresent White House Easter egg contest, Day of Transgender Visibility proclamation
US overdose deaths dropped in 2023, the first time since 2018
US officials warn of increase in bacterial illnesses that can lead to meningitis and possibly death