An Army general, Antonio Taguba, testified in a federal court case in Alexandria, Virginia, regarding the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Taguba stated that a civilian contractor, Steven Stefanowicz, instructed prison guards to 'soften up' detainees for interrogations. He further testified that Stefanowicz attempted to intimidate him during his investigation of the abuses.
The lawsuit against the military contractor CACI alleges that the company played a role in the mistreatment of Abu Ghraib inmates by providing civilian interrogators who conspired with military police to torture prisoners. Taguba's 2004 report recommended disciplinary action against Stefanowicz for allowing and instructing abusive tactics.
