Obama administration to release Bush-era detainee photos (LAT)

[jefferson_dem]

Obama administration to release Bush-era detainee photos

The pictures show Americans' alleged abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan. An ACLU lawyer says they prove that Abu Ghraib 'was not aberrational.'

By Peter Wallsten, Julian Barnes and Greg Miller

6:41 PM PDT, April 23, 2009

Reporting from Washington — The Obama administration agreed late Thursday to release dozens of photographs depicting alleged abuse by U.S. personnel during the Bush administration of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan.

At least 44 pictures will be released on May 28 -- making public for the first time images of what the military investigated as abuse that took place at facilities other than the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Defense officials would not say exactly what is contained in the photos, but said they are concerned that the release could incite a backlash in the Middle East.

The photos are apparently not as shocking as the photographs from the Abu Ghraib investigation that became a lasting symbol of U.S. mistakes in Iraq. But some show military service members intimidating or threatening detainees by pointing weapons at them. Military officers have been court-martialed for threatening detainees at gunpoint.

"This will constitute visual proof that, unlike the Bush administration's claim, the abuse was not confined to Abu Ghraib and was not aberrational," said Amrit Singh, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, which obtained the agreement as part of a long-running legal battle for documents related to Bush-era anti-terror policies.

The photo release decision comes as President Obama is already trying to quell a drive to investigate Bush-era anti-terror practices. But now the photos and a series of other possible disclosures stemming from the ACLU lawsuit threatens to fuel the already explosive controversy.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-interrogate24-2009apr24,0,6469868,print.story

[Colobo]

1. And the info keeps coming out...

[jefferson_dem]

5. The truth shall set us free...

:patriot: Thanks, Mr. President.

[babylonsister]

2. Uh oh. nt

[jefferson_dem]

7. This release should shove those "few bad apples" down their collective war-mongering throats...

Scumbags. They are a disgrace to humankind.

[babylonsister]

13. It's sure to rile up a lot of people. I agree

we need to see them, but wish we'd seen them all all at once. This won't be good.

[ErinBerin84]

3. Just saw this breaking on CNN

[graywarrior]

4. The screw keeps turning tighter and tighter.

[C_U_L8R]

6. "sunlight makes the best disinfectant"

truism just said on Rachel's show

[Fleshdancer]

8. This is going to hurt

:(

I agree with the decision to release them, but it's not going to be easy to see.

[islandgirl808]

9. oh boy

the shit hits the proverbial fan...

good. i hope it makes it very very very real for those defending torture.

[islandgirl808]

10. oh boy

the shit hits the proverbial fan...

good. i hope it makes it very very very real for those defending torture.

[NYC Liberal]

11. Obama is making them squirm. Cheney et. al. don't know if they're gonna be prosecuted or not

You can tell they are getting worried.

[ellie]

12. If defense

officials are concerned about a backlash in the Middle East then they shouldn't have tortured people and treated them poorly. I mean, come on, I am just a regular citizen and can figure this out! Bunch of fucking dummies.

[Honeycombe8]

14. Whoa. Really? This means that the admin. is not rethinking the memo release.

This means that they have charted a definite course and are sure about it.

Wassup, I wonder?

[saltpoint]

15. That's bound to be a real bad week for Brit Hume.

And for quite a few of Brit's favorite Bush administration officials, too.