Barack Obama to release up to 2,000 photographs of prisoner abuse

[woo me with science]

Source: Telegraph

President Barack Obama is to release up to 2,000 photographs of alleged abuse at American prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan in a move which will reignite the scandal surrounding Abu Ghraib prison in 2004.

By Toby Harnden in Washington
Last Updated: 10:44PM BST 24 Apr 2009


Some of the photographs, which will be released before May 28, are said to show American service personnel humiliating prisoners, according to officials. The images relate to more than 400 separate cases involving alleged prisoner abuse between 2001 and 2005.

Descriptions of some of the alleged abuse photographs include:

* A prisoner pushed up against a wall as military guards or interrogators appear to threaten to sexually assault him with a broomstick

* Female soldiers posing with hooded, shackled prisoners who were stripped naked

* Hooded prisoners on transport planes with Playboy magazines opened to pictures of nude women on their laps

The administration initially planned to release only the 21 photos sought by the ACLU, but General David Petraeus ordered that all 2,000 photographs be released to keep from "dragging this issue out forever".

.....

Amrit Singh, an ACLU lawyer, said that "these photographs provide visual proof that prisoner abuse by US personnel was not aberrational but widespread, reaching far beyond the walls of Abu Ghraib"...



Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/5215068/Barack-Obama-to-release-up-to-2000-photographs-of-prisoner-abuse.html

[msongs]

1. so Bush's pet, Petraeus, says release em all....what will the wingers think of him now ? nt

[valerief]

2. Oh, Peggy Noonan will lose her innocence. The mystery will be revealed

to her evil pea brain.

[defendandprotect]

8. Peggy Noonan is a lying machine for the right, for decades ---

neo-con propagandist --

[InfiniteThoughts]

29. the standard response ...

they will diss him and tell him that his brilliance came because he was working for Bush regime and he turned dumb because of working in Obama regime.

Like facts ever prevented them from stating stupid one-liners ... ;)

[Gman]

3. Petraeus is such a suck up kiss ass

the guy is a chameleon depending on who's in the WH.

[geek tragedy]

40. Well, his job is to obey who's in the WH. n/t

[Swagman]

4. In that case-shouldn't Lyndey England and her jailed co-horts, despite

their appaling actions, be given a pardom now that the odious Dick Cheney has claimed on TV that "positive results" were produced from torture that he and his crew claim were legal ? Why were these grunts singled out for prosecution ?

the tangled webs we weave !

(edited for spelling as everytime I write the word "Cheney" I :puke: :puke: and make mistakes )

[defendandprotect]

7. Let's not jump the "just taking orders" hurdle again . . . for that . . .

we'd have to have hearings to find out how much in the dark the military has been

keeping soldiers re Nuremberg Trials, Geneva Accords -- not to mention our own

Constitution which bars "cruel and unusual punishment."

Obama should actually get out there with wise words for the military officers and

soldiers -- doctors, etc. -- contractors that the message is "humane treatment"

and anything else will be prosecuted!!!

[Vidar]

11. Ms England was already pardoned.

[mbperrin]

32. She was not pardoned. She served some time and was released on parole after

a dishonorable discharge.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/03/abu-ghraib-lynndie-england-interview

It is almost two years since England returned home after serving half of a three-year sentence for maltreating prisoners at Abu Ghraib.


http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/03/convicted-abu-g.html
England, who was sentenced to three years in prison, was released a year ago after serving about 17 months and now lives in a trailer with her parents and toddler son -- the child of Charles Graner, Jr., who was reportedly the ringleader of the abuse at Abu Ghraib.

[Vidar]

44. I sit corrected.

[Baby Snooks]

5. What purpose does this serve?

We are showing the world how evil the Republicans are I guess but the roblem is we are also showing the world how evil the Democrats are as well since the Democrats in Congress sat around while all of this was happening and acted pious and patriotic and said nothing along with the Republicans in Congress.

We are also telling the world during the "Show and Tell" that we are above the law. Hold a US president accountable? Never. It would set a bad precedence for future US presidents who might want to torture innocent people. Let's hope Barack Obama didn't enjoy sticking firecrackers in the mouths of frogs and then lighting the firecrackers and tossing the frogs into the air the way George W Bush did.

We are sending a very mixed message. And a dangerous one. One that invites further hatred of us and invites further violence against us.

[defendandprotect]

6. Maybe we're ready to rethink and reform those messages . . . I hope--!!!

This is our country -- and whatever happens is done in our name, with our money ---
Everyone doing this crap is doing it on a payroll paid by American taxpayers.

The photos aren't "show and tell" -- they are part of truth hearings.
We don't know exactly what we're talking about until we see ALL the evidence.

American reality has to reflect what actually happened -- and in order to understand
the reality that these criminals put into play, we have to LOOK.
And I hope there will be a great deal of feedback soon from the prisoners themselves
who will tell us their own stories. Many we have heard. We need to hear as many as
possible.

Look at how it changes things to see the OPPOSITION of the military -- Air Force,
Army -- to the torture memos!

Look how it changes things to see how many were trying to whistleblow on this -- to
protest!

How did this all stay in place and go forward despite all of that --?
What was the dark power -- and where do we go to stamp it out, completely---!!!???

[Canuckistanian]

10. Trust me, the world is not going to blame Democrats

We all understand that this was the Republicans' show. And we are well aware of the bullshit in Congress - the lies, the bribes, the threats...

Believe me, the world has more of a sympathy for Democrats than condemnation.

But I tell you right now - if Obama doesn't make this right and quick, the whole country goes down several notches in our collective opinion.

The world is watching.

[glitch]

15. Disinfectant. It's important with infections.

If we expose the evil and repent we actually reduce our chances of further violence against us.

[Doremus]

21. Your characterizations of Congressional Dems condoning torture is untrue.

Many of them publicly, repeatedly and quite vocally condemned the use of torture.

What else would you have them do? They were the minority in case you forgot.

[Doremus]

23. It's getting interesting folks.

The pendulum is swinging towards repuke throats and I couldn't be happier.

[Iowa]

25. I wouldn't be quite so fast to proclaim that no Dems were involved...

This depravity was certainly conceived by the sewage that occupied the Bush WH. And you're right... many Dems have publicly and repeatedly condemned the use of torture. That doesn't mean that no Dems were complicit, or that some who said one thing, actually did another.

It's almost always best to pay attention to what politicians DO, not what they SAY.

[Iowa]

22. This is not a "problem".

"...but the problem is we are also showing the world how evil the Democrats are... since the Democrats in Congress sat around while all of this was happening"

----

This is not a "problem". ANY Democrat who played a part in allowing government sanctioned torture is pond-scum. ANY politician who was complicit should be prosecuted - Republican or Democrat - it doesn't matter.

See... this is one of many things that separates Democrats from Republicans. Republicans stand by their politicians no matter how damned dumb, vile, or depraved they are. They're sheep. Democrats are more likely to have a set of principles to guide them; it's part of being smarter than they are.

[No Elephants]

31. I don't know how making the pictures public invites further violence against us. Those likely

to be violent have probably heard worse things than the photos show. In fact, they probably have the photos. Only the general American public is likely to be unaware of what was done.

[bitchkitty]

37. I was wondering the same thing.

If you're not going to prosecute, why show the world exactly what you're letting the criminals get away with?

Unless he wants there to be such a public outcry that they are given no choice but to prosecute?

[tabasco]

42. Oh, so if we hid the pictures and acted like nothing happened, everything would be swell.

Releasing the pictures demonstrates our nation's willingness to reveal the truth and prevent the crimes from happening again.

[Mari333]

9. truth hurts but it never harms.

truth needs to always come out.

[underpants]

12. He is flooding the zone with information

the opposition can't get their talking points straight and the media is useless without everyone (on the right) being "on message"

love watching it. glad I could help make it happen

[EFerrari]

13. Yes, he is.

:woohoo:

[Gregorian]

14. I guess we have to cheer a little.

It's ugly, but you're right, woo hoo!

By the way, I've been wanting to tell you that you totally rock! I hope things are going well with you.

[EFerrari]

19. Wow! TGIF to you, too!

I can't complain, Gregorian. Hope things are good up your way, too. :hi:

[CoffeeCat]

16. Remember the pictures Seymour Hersch talked about?

Remember when torture pictures were viewed by Senators and Congress members and we never
got to see those images?

Seymour Hersch talked about those pictures and he said that some of the pictures showed how
children were tortured and some sexually abused.

Are these *those* pictures?

[glitch]

17. I sure hope so. I am sick to death of the torture-appeasers.

They need to be shut up, or at the very least shamed into not broadcast.

[CoffeeCat]

20. YES...and what bothers me the most...

...is that we are allowing the criminals to frame this torture debate.

THIS INFURIATES ME!!!

The torture docs that have been released are about the torture of Khalid Mohamed. So, consequently the
debate is framed as---those who think that it's reasonable to torture one of the 9/11 masterminds AND those
who don't.

That's unfair. Everyone hates any person who had anything to do with 9/11. The torture proponents are
being allowed to make a strong argument---that doesn't address the reality of what our government has done.

We tortured hundreds and 46 were murdered. Those people were not 9/11 masterminds. They were plucked off
of the streets in Iraq and Afghanistan without being charged with any crime.

Where are the stories about those detainees or torture victims who were never found guilty of any crime?????

That's what this debate should be about. But it's not.

Why are the neocon goons in control of this debate? Why???

[glitch]

33. They own the media. So for every time some one calls them on their bullshit they put up X times more

idiots spewing their propaganda. Already more Americans are learning (like the Soviets did with Pravda) to ridicule their spewage or simply turn them off and search for better sources. Halleluja for the Internet!

[Toucano]

27. IIRC Hersch said there was video.

Video will be the most damning.

[SKKY]

18. Fasten your seatbelts and hold on tight folks...

...this ride is about to get rough. :popcorn:

[Wizard777]

24. Way to turn up the heat. It's hard to overlook torture or excuse it when it's in your face.

[Tim01]

26. So we will show the world we are monsters, and then we will let is slide.

This should cause the world to trust and respect us less than they do now. This is embarrassing.

[tabasco]

43. Newsflash - the world already knows we are monsters.

Revealing the truth may give them hope that we are serious about getting better.

[Toucano]

28. I thought the Pentagon was under court order to release these years ago

but kept delaying and stalling.

[Karenina]

34. You are correct.

[ohio2007]

30. these pics should win friends in the ME . I'm sure the ACLU would agree

:sarcasm:

[Wizard777]

35. Intially I was concerned with Obama's decision to retain Gates. Ultimately I trusted Obama.

A man of good character should be a good judge of good character. It's starting to look like Gates is one of the good guys after all.

[piratefish08]

36. This torture situation and these impending photos are driving Freepers completely

fucking batshit CRAZY. They are wrong and they KNOW it.

I wish we weren't in this mess. I wish The US had played by the rules. But they didn't and now people in high levels of Gov MUST be held responsible in a bi-partisan manner. Were the Rethugs primarily responsible? Of course - they were in charge. Are we naive enough to think there weren't dems involved? There must have been, and they too should have to answer for their participation.

But in the meantime I hate to admit how much I am enjoying watching the right wing try to spin their version and fail miserably at it..........

[readmoreoften]

38. I think they should have a policy of releasing all photos.

I hope this is for real.

[readmoreoften]

39. What will likely be withheld for eternity is the pictures of abused female prisoners.

There are, of course, such pictures in existence. We already know that female prisoners were forced to pose topless for the guards and that those pictures exist. Considering what is being done to the male prisoners, considering what Hersh heard on tapes, considering what is done to female prisoners in the US, and considering the high incidence of rape of female soldiers... it is almost impossible to imagine that female prisoners are not being assaulted in Iraq.

Heck, why would they be suffering any less than the female soldiers?

[DKRC]

41. I think if it was just adults being held you would be right

It's the photos & video of the children being raped & tortured that will be held back.
No one can rationalize that & let the perps slip away unpunished.
All hell will break loose.
As it should.

:nuke:

[Doctor_J]

45. So, if there are pics of sexual abuse, will Hannity agree to be penetrated for money?

:shrug: