MONDAY: After 20 years, trial begins for Abu Ghraib torture survivors  

Today, the trial in our longstanding case, Al Shimari v. CACI is finally beginning. This case is brought on behalf of three Iraqi torture victims against U.S.-based private contractor CACI Premier Technology, Inc. 

Filed in 2008, the lawsuit alleges that CACI participated in a conspiracy to commit, and otherwise aided and abetted, unlawful conduct including torture and war crimes at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. CACI was hired by the U.S. to provide interrogation services. The plaintiffs, Suhail Al Shimari, Asa’ad Zuba’e, and Salah Al-Ejaili, were held at the “hard site,” an area of the Abu Ghraib prison where the most severe abuses occurred in 2003-2004. 

Date: Monday, April 15 and scheduled to last approximately two weeks
Location: U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Virginia, Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse, 401 Courthouse Square, Alexandria, VA 22314

Twenty years ago–in April 2004–the torture at Abu Ghraib was made public when photographs of the horrifying treatment of Iraqis in detention were published. The final in a series of cases, Al Shimari v. CACI is a rare opportunity for some measure of accountability for the egregious harms suffered by Iraqis after the U.S. invasion in 2003. Today, this historic trial begins. 

We will post any updates to the schedule during trial to our event page. 

For more information about the case, visit our resource page, Justice for Abu Ghraib.

Photo of plaintiff Salah Al-Ejaili, outside the courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia in March.

Stop-and-frisk attorneys dispute monitor’s report on racial disparities in NYPD stops 

We responded to the report filed last week by the court-appointed monitor in our landmark case, Floyd v. City of New York, we issued the following comments: 

“The monitor’s report erroneously asserts that there are diminished racial disparities in stops of Black and Latinx New Yorkers by New York Police Department officers, while acknowledging that a significant number of stops are not documented. Floyd plaintiffs’ counsel and our experts believe that the report’s analysis of racial disparities is flawed and the NYPD needs to take further actions to ensure 14th amendment compliance.”
–  Staff Attorney Samah Sisay

Among the methodological and analytical problems with the monitor’s report, the severe under-reporting of stops by officers undermines the validity of conclusions. The report itself says that, based on a random sample of body camera footage, 31.4 percent of stops are undocumented. 

To see more of our response to the flawed report, view the full press release on our website.

Joy and Jo Banner of The Descendants Project speak in NYC about their work in Louisiana  

Last week, our clients Joy and Jo Banner spoke to a packed room about their work fighting environmental racism in their hometown of Wallace, Louisiana, which is in the area known as Cancer Alley. They spoke at an event we cosponsored with the Climate Museum. 

Joy and Jo are the cofounders of The Descendants Project and spoke about their work preserving the heritage, history, and powerful stories of their ancestors and the plantations that lined the Mississippi River.

Joy and Jo talked about our joint work in The Descendants Project v. St. John the Baptist Parish, challenging a proposed massive grain elevator that the company "Greenfield" is trying to build in Wallace. They discussed the importance of paying attention to zoning regulations and the ways regulations are used to turn Black communities into ‘Sacrifice Zones.’ They also discussed their advocacy within the United Nations to bring international attention to their struggles. 

It's always inspiring to see the Banner sisters, and we are grateful for our long partnership!

WEDNESDAY: “The intersection of Islamophobia and anti-Blackness within U.S. prisons” 

Please join us, Donkeysaddle Projects, Tayba Foundation, and Missouri Prison Reform for a virtual discussion: The Intersection of Islamophobia and Anti-Blackness Within U.S. Prisons: A deep dive into one incident of brutality against incarcerated men in Missouri and the pattern it reveals.

Date: Wednesday, April 17, 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Online via Zoom

In February 2021, a group of Muslim men incarcerated at a Missouri prison were violently pepper sprayed and brutalized while gathered to pray in the common area—for no other reason than the fact that they were praying. 

Our Political Education and Research Manager maya finoh will moderate this discussion on the incident and the anti-Blackness and Islamophobia that incite similar violence within prisons. 

RSVP through google forms to receive the Zoom link to attend.

We’re hiring: Media Associate 

The Media Associate will provide support to the Communications Department and its director, managing the weekly e-newsletter, handling day-to-day administrative responsibilities, and contributing to podcasts, social media work, and other projects. 

Responsibilities include writing compelling, engaging copy for emails and blog posts to further internal and external organizing and strategic campaigns. This individual will collect and manage press clips and assist with updating and maintaining press lists. A full list of responsibilities can be found in the job description on our website.

This position is remote eligible on a case-by-case basis, but the applicant must reside on the East Coast for periodic onsite visits to headquarters in New York City. Applicants will be asked to submit a resume and cover letter along with three writing / design samples. Application deadline is April 18, 2024.

Candidates should submit an online application.