Members of private contracting firms in Iraq were deeply involved in the abuse which occurred at the Abu Ghraib prison. The involvement of the contractors was exposed in a Pentagon investigation last year which found that “several of the alleged perpetrators of the abuse of detainees” were private contractors.
(For example, remember CACI International? The company, which had no experience in professional interrogations, supplied the U.S. military with interrogators like Steven Stefanowicz, the CACI employee considered by Major General Antonio Taguba to be “directly or indirectly responsible” for encouraging the horrific abuse and torture at Abu Ghraib.)
Not only did Stafanowicz escape any criminal prosecution, according to the Financial Times, not one single private contractor has faced criminal charges or prosecution. Not one. A new Pentagon report found that even though cases were referred to the Department of Justice, “to date, no charges have been filed.”
Welcome to the moral vacuum. Leave your accountability at the door.