We who come from Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan have grown up with the painful legacy of Abu Ghraib prison. Before the US army invaded Iraq, different Iraqi governments had imprisoned dissidents and anyone whom they perceived as a threat to their power. Torture, humiliation and summary executions were part of daily life for those incarcerated in Abu Ghraib. In the name of spreading democracy and deposing Saddam Hussein, the US Army – after its occupation of Iraq – continued the legacy of Abu Ghraib, filling it with those they perceived as threats to their power. Abu Ghraib prison was closed down in 2014.