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Today's Top News
US Rejects British Paper's Report on Iraq Prison Photos
WASHINGTON - The US Defense Department on Thursday strongly rejected a British newspaper report alleging photographs of abuse at Iraqi prisons including images of rape and sexual assault.
The Daily Telegraph alleged the photos were among hundreds related to investigations of prisoner abuse that President Barack Obama has chosen not to release to avoid jeopardizing the security of US troops abroad.
But Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the newspaper "demonstrated an inability to get the facts right."
"None of the photos in question depict the images that are described in that article," Whitman told reporters.
Obama earlier this month chose not to release hundreds of photos that were used as evidence in criminal probes of detainee abuse at US-run prisons in Iraq and elsewhere.
The pictures are the subject of a long-running lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which has demanded the images be released.
According to the Telegraph, the pictures show US soldiers raping detainees, assaulting prisoners with a truncheon, wire and a phosphorescent tube and a female prisoner forcibly having her breasts exposed.
The paper quoted Major General Antonio Taguba, an ex-army officer who published a scathing report in 2004 into the abuse scandal at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison.
Taguba said the photos showed rape, torture and abuse and that he supported Obama's decision not to release the images.
But Whitman denied that the photos Obama chose to withhold included alleged rapes and also said he was not aware of any additional photos from Abu Ghraib that had not already been published.
"To the best of my knowledge all of the Abu Ghraib photos are out there for you to take a look at. They were published by any number of news organizations," he said.
Obama reversed his position on releasing the photos after military commanders and Defense Secretary Robert Gates voiced concern about a possible backlash against US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The ACLU has accused the Obama administration of adopting "the stonewalling tactics and opaque policies of the Bush administration."
Previously released photographs showing abuse and humilation of inmates at Abu Ghraib provoked global condemnation when they were published in 2004, the year after Obama's predecessor George W. Bush ordered US troops into Iraq.
In his report on Abu Ghraib, Taguba said that in 2003 there were numerous instances of "sadistic, blatant, and wanton criminal abuses" at the prison.
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26 Comments so far
Show AllWell, let's see now.
1. Military denial.
2. Military says it was not as bad as it looked.
3. Military gives apology to the victims, offers money.
4. Murdock shuts down discussion in the propaganda bureau.
5. Military does something else dastardly. (return to 1. above)
There is no end to it.
But Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the newspaper "demonstrated an inability to get the facts right."
"None of the photos in question depict the images that are described in that article," Whitman told reporters.
The fact that the Democrats can even hope that many of you will believe something like this pentagon statement, shows what Obama thinks of the guileless American public.
Nevertheless, what does re-publication of another round of Abu Ghraib photos depicting atrocities from 2003-2005 add to the public discussion that should be taking place today about the Bush administration's embrace of torture as official US government policy?
I've been a member of the ACLU and a cooperating attorney in ACLU-sponsored litigation for over twenty years. During 2004, when George W. Bush came campaigning for re-election through my home town, I took part in a wonderful, boisterous local anti-Bush demonstration outside the civic center where he delivered his speech. I was standing barefoot on a box, wearing a black robe and hood rented from a costume store, waving electrical cords in one hand and a placard in the other hand that declared "Torture is a Sin."
Still, Obama is right on this one. Releasing those old photos today adds not one iota of substance to the ongoing debate about the supposed utility (or virtues) of torture as Dick Cheney has framed our national discourse. More visual evidence circulating around serves no likely immediate purpose I can see other than to feed a renewed round of propaganda fires that may well put some US troops stationed abroad at risk of retaliatory beheading if they get captured.
Enough with the snuff journalism already. We know top Bush decisionmakers and their lawyer enablers secretly authorized torture, sexual humiliation, and routinized abuse of prisoners. We also know there were lower echelon interrogators who exceeded even the Bushies' psycho-sick enhanced interrogation technique standards.
The political focus should be squarely upon getting Eric Holder to do his job, convene a grand jury, and uphold the rule of law and long established international human rights standards. All the rest is a sensationalized distraction.
Kudos to the ACLU however for their tenacity (and the efforts of other groups like Human Rights Watch, the Red Cross, and the Center for Constitutional Rights) in forcing America's descent into torture state practices into the public domain. Along with courageous journalists like Jane Mayer, Mark Danner, Ron Susskind, Seymour Hersh and others, we now know how bad it was, and that the rot definitely came from the top down.
But enough is enough with the graphics.
It's time to hold the upper echelon conspirators accountable for what they did, and take the toys away from the boys for good.
Bill from Saginaw
Still, Obama is right on this one. Releasing those old photos today adds not one iota of substance to the ongoing debate about the supposed utility (or virtues) of torture as Dick Cheney has framed our national discourse. More visual evidence circulating around serves no likely immediate purpose I can see other than to feed a renewed round of propaganda fires that may well put some US troops stationed abroad at risk of retaliatory beheading if they get captured.
If these damn photos are so bad that to show them would endanger our troops, then why in Hell are those who instigated such heinous acts that would endanger our troops not being prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I don't give a crap if Republicans, Democrats or cannonized saints go down on this one.
Well stated case, counselor, but there are some major differences I would wish to call to your attention.
Any Americans who are captured in either Iraq or Afghanistan have little or no hope of fair treatment since they will not be protected by the Geneva Accords---they are 'members of an invading force' and their treatment at the hands of any captors would most likely be the same if they were invaders in your home state; 'dead meat'.
No amount of "good public relations' would overcome the death, destruction, and devastation the American forces have already inflicted, and to believe so would be absolute folly.
As a "lawyer" you may wish to peruse the Geneva Accords, they basically are in place to manage the conduct of "invading forces" and are only enforceable to or upon members of the accords; In fact the USA is up to it's collective 'buttocks' in violations and it would be foolish on a "galactic scale" to expect them to be treated with respect or any kind of consideration.
The truth on the other hand should be made public, so that the American people can see what has been done to other human beings in their name---under the guise of protecting American lives. In fact, the American people should be able to try the offenders in Federal Courts instead of military courts---but that would be extra jurisdictional, and grounds for appeal and dismissal.
In reality there are perhaps hundreds of thousands of Americans who could care less what was done to whom, unless it touches their lives directly, or someone they know, or might interfere with their daily lives. Some, would even openly approve. None of these Americans would have much to say in application of the law and it is clear that the USA is once more in violation of international law that they themselves participated in the establishment thereof------------
As a Lawyer you might wish to apply your services, pro bono if needed, for the defense of those Americans who might be effected by their own criminal behavior---
you could be famous with a short period of time---you seem intelligent and I am sure you are a clever member of the Bar------
The naked truth---needs to be naked when exposed.
Good Luck America, you really need it.
There is no controversy on this subject. People committed war crimes...that is a matter of public record. The public needs to be informed, and the criminals prosecuted under existing laws.
I don't know what all the fuss is about.
I think we should take the time to think about the welfare of the victims. Remember also that they were mostly innocent of any crime. If I had been violated in such major fashion, I would need support and solidarity.
We probably cannot change the course of Washington at this time, as Washington is a giant puppet with many arms responding to invisible strings. What we can do is get to the victims, hear and publish their stories, learn from and resensitize ourselves through them, demand their release and provide for them and their families.
Where are the victims? Are they still languising in our goulags?
Invisible strings you say, Ma? Follow the money. It shouldn't be difficult. There's plenty of it flowing in one direction.
Invisible strings you say, Ma? Follow the money. It shouldn't be difficult. There's plenty of it flowing in one direction.
The photos DO add to the debate. It visually confronts people of precisely what is happened. It FORCES people to literally SEE, something that is not as easy with words.
They add another line: Rape, yes or no? It forces those who defend to torture to also defend rape.
I agree with you, but the sad fact is, at least half of the American people would not only vehemently defend rape, they would even celebrate it joyously as long it's perpetrated on "the terrorists", just as they publicly celebrated torture during the last presidential debates.
Deepa
"Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the newspaper "demonstrated an inability to get the facts right.
None of the photos in question depict the images that are described in that article."
IF BRYAN WHITMAN'S STATEMENT IS TRUE, THEN WHAT IS THE PROBLEM IN RELEASING THOSE PHOTOS????
Release of the photos will confirm who is speaking truth and who is lying. Why is Obama hiding these photos??? Is this his understanding of "transparency"???
He and the Americans are COWARDS TO FACE THE TRUTH and their own criminal behaviour.
In order to hide their own criminal behaviour, Americans are at the forefront in projecting their criminality on OTHERS.
SHAMELESS COUNTRY!!!!
I agree; if we have nothing to hide, and the photos are indeed similar to what was released after Abu Ghraib, then let us see and decide for ourselves.
Deepa...Varma?
I totally understand your frustration. My position is, as president, Obama is not at liberty to block release of the photos. The photos are a matter of public record, as they are connected to criminal activity. The government is responsible to release those photos, and to hold accountable those who are responsible for the behavior exhibited in them.
"Nevertheless, what does re-publication of another round of Abu Ghraib photos depicting atrocities from 2003-2005 add to the public discussion that should be taking place today about the Bush administration's embrace of torture as official US government policy?"
What it adds is showing some more of what actually happened instead of having to hear continuous denials from the goeverment, which are constantly revised as new proof comes out. (And this is not 're-publication' if the pictures have not been seen before).
Also, it's not just Bush's torturing -- there is torturing still going on, just as many of the other Bush crimes are still continuing. The most important principle of cutting out cancer is that you get it ALL out or it just spreads and re-grows.
"Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the newspaper "demonstrated an inability to get the facts right.
None of the photos in question depict the images that are described in that article."
Nice try, Bryan.
By asserting that the newspaper did not get the facts right and then asserting that the photos in question do not fit the article, Bryan, tries to induce readers to think that he has in some way invalidated the report of US torture and rape at Abu Ghraib.
Notice that Bryan doesn't dare mention General Taguba's admission.
Oh, Bryan and his type are paid plenty to attempt obfuscation.
Hideki Tōjō was tried by the International Military Tribunal for war crimes and found guilty of:
count 1 (waging wars of aggression, and war or wars in violation of international law)
.
.
.
count 54 (ordering, authorizing, and permitting inhumane treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs) and others)
How is this any different than what Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powel and Rice have done?
And now Obama, Gates and Clinton have continued down that same path.
That reminded me of a story of a Japanese military officer committing seppuku (ritual suicide) as punishment for giving an illegal order to fire on foreigners. He presented himself in ceremonial dress before a group comprising seven Japanese officials and seven foreign representatives. After bowing before them, he said,
"I, and I alone, unwarrantably gave the order to fire on the foreigners at Kobe, and again as they tried to escape. For this crime I disembowel myself, and I beg you who are present to do me the honor of witnessing the act."
Contrast that with the cowardice and duplicity of our own political and military leaders in the face of their own war crimes.
[This story comes from Mitford's "Tales of Old Japan", as recounted in "Bushido, The Warrior's Code" by Inazo Nitobe, 1979, Ohara Publications]
Re: Bill from Saginaw...5:05 pm
Still, Obama is right on this one. Releasing those old photos today adds not one iota of substance to the ongoing debate about the supposed utility (or virtues) of torture as Dick Cheney has framed our national discourse. More visual evidence circulating around serves no likely immediate purpose I can see other than to feed a renewed round of propaganda fires that may well put some US troops stationed abroad at risk of retaliatory beheading if they get captured.
If these damn photos are so bad that to show them would endanger our troops, then why in Hell are those who instigated such heinous acts that would endanger our troops not being prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I don't give a crap if Republicans, Democrats or cannonized saints go down on this one.
I'm completely with you on this. It is the acts, not the images of the acts that are dangerous. Contrary to the philosophy of our handlers, image is not everything.
Joe
I believe everything the military says. Also I know Obama has five heads.
I think we should also ban images of slavery and the Holocaust. Releasing those old photos today adds not one iota of substance to our understanding of history.
Let's see, who should we believe, professional liars such as the Pentagon spokesperson and Obama's press secretary, or General Taguba, who admits that the photos show rape, torture and abuse.
Our taxes pay for whatever has been going on, and we have not only a right, but a responsibility, to see we are paying for. If the government is allowed to withhold information for fear of stirring up anti-American sentiment and putting our troops in danger of retaliation, there will be no limit to the horrors they will be free to commit, and hide, from now on.
We have to see the pictures, and we have to put those who have broken the law on trial, starting with Bush and Cheney, and going all the way down to the troops who carried out these atrocities. If we fail to face our crimes, and if we fail to live up to our obligations under the law, our children will face even worse nightmares.
Notice that it is a British newspaper that reported this story, just as it was international news organizations who told us what was happening in the Israeli massacre of Palestinians in Gaza. Thanks to the willing self-censorship of our mainstream news media, we in the U.S. are kept in the dark about the consequences of our own foreign policy.
In response to everything from the "you demon'ocrats will believe anything" to the "yeah it's bad, but it doesn't really help to publish those rape pics"
YES the photos should be available to the public. Yes they should, unless victims and/or their families can identify them and request otherwise. These are PEOPLE, not animals, not furniture, and they have families, even if some of them ARE terrorists. When exactly did we stop believing in HUMAN rights? Yes we should know what was done, and make it impossible for torture supporters to deny what really happened. Yes.
Why? You ask why? BECAUSE it was the ignorance, willful IGNORANCE of our (so called) people to the truth of what was being DONE to other (what must surely be) people that allowed it to happen in the FIRST PLACE, so shouldn't we support everything possible to bring it to their (our people) pathetic attention??? If our people had had to face up to what all the horrible things that have been done in OUR NAMES, it would have been harder to do those things, and it would have been harder to continue to do those things for I'm not sure how long. If they've stopped. Have they stopped?
No, make no mistake, it is a TERRIBLE idea to keep the truth of what was done hidden. No matter what other else happens, no matter how horrible it is, what we've allowed to be done was lawless and destroyed lives, and may be very self destructive to us as well. To see the truth is the only way to begin to stop it. I say hide nothing that stands a chance of getting our people to see the truth. To begin the chant to stop the maddness.
Torture has been known about for over five years ago now. Nothing much was done about it. They look to all be getting away with it. Do we really think it should be brushed aside, again, when the ugly cruelty of it resurfaced in the form of more pictures, a report, and a people perpetually distracted? Can that be a good idea in the long run, to say "Naw, let those rape pics go, someone might get upset"? Christ, don't those poor victims deserve justice? Not even the children?
Shouldn't a lot of people be upset? Yes. Publish everything you can. Upset everyone. That would be good.
Looks to be a duplicate post
Iraqi, Afghan and Pakistani resistance do not need more photos to make their case.
Keep sending drones as wedding "gifts". Maim and cripple the flower girls.
Do you believe your tortured nephew or the imperialists?
We have lost the hearts and minds - there can be no change of heart for generations. Generations....
We may as well occupy all three countries (Pakistan too).
We had a brief moment to change course ...Obama and Gates have blown it.
Maybe we can bring back Karen Huge to host tea parties with collaborationist wives.