WASHINGTON - May 13 - Amnesty International USA's executive director Larry Cox released the following statement in response to news reports that the Obama administration will not be fulfilling its legal obligation per the American Civil Liberties Union's FOIA suit to release photos documenting abuse and torture of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan:

"Human beings have been tortured and denied basic rights. The American people have been lied to, and government officials who authorized and justified abusive policies have been given a pass. The world has lost faith in the United States' respect for human dignity. And still, the whole story has not been told.

"Now, the Obama administration is reneging on their legal obligation to release the torture photos, a critical disclosure in helping Americans understand the range and degree of abuse that was committed in their name.

"Today's decision to hold the torture photos only points more firmly to the urgent need for an investigation to expose, prosecute and finally close the book on torture."

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.