Obama Withholding 2,100 Iraq and Afghanistan Torture Photos 'Worse than Abu Ghraib'

[k98nights]

Obama Withholding 2,100 Iraq and Afghanistan Torture Photos 'Worse than Abu Ghraib'

Ewan Palmer

By Ewan Palmer

October 22, 2014 12:26 BST

The unreleased images are said to be more disturbing than the photos from Abu Ghraib that shocked the world in 2004(Getty)

The Obama Administration has been given a December deadline to explain why it has withheld more than 2,000 graphic images depicting Iraqi and Afghanistan detainees being tortured by the US military.

A federal judge has ordered the US government to explain, one photograph at a time, why it blocked the images from being released to the public.

In addition to the photographs of hooded, naked and abused prisoners inside the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, which caused global outrage during the George W Bush era in 2004, a further 2,100 images showing possibly even more disturbing examples of torture and humiliation could also be released.

Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein has given the US Justice Department until 12 December to give a rational explanation why each individual photograph has been withheld from the public.

After Hellerstein has heard the reasoning from the government, he will decide how many will be released, if any at all.

In 2009, President Barack Obama said the reasoning for blocking the release of the images was on the grounds they would "further inflame anti-American opinion" and "put our troops in greater danger".

Two former US secretaries of defense, Robert Gates in 2009 and Leon Panetta in 2012, also maintained the disclosure of the images would place US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan lives at risk.

The US military returned to Iraq this year as part of the ongoing battle against Isis (Islamic State), prompting further fears about the repercussion the release of the images might hold.

Marcellene Hearn, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said it is important that the US government disclose the actions of the military for transparency purposes.

"The American people are entitled to know what took place in US detention centres," she said.

"And it would be completely backwards to suppress images of government misconduct on the grounds that they are too powerful to be disclosed when it is often disclosure, accountability and ensuing reforms that prevent misconduct from recurring."

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/obama-administration-ordered-explain-withholding-2100-iraq-afghanistan-torture-photos-hold-1471251

[Shabibilicious]

I wonder how many ACLU members, or their sons or daughters, have served in the military?  Nothing good can come from releasing more images.  As always, just my opinion    

 

GO RV, and NO BV

[DiveDeepSix]

I wonder how many ACLU members, or their sons or daughters, have served in the military?  Nothing good can come from releasing more images.  As always, just my opinion    

 

GO RV, and NO BV

 

Agreed.  Maybe they should release all the evidence they have of the torturing and murdering they have done to get themselves placed there in the first place.  Same goes for ISIS right now, if you get caught fighting for them, no trial, no prison, just a bullet to the head and a shallow unmarked grave the coyotes can find easily.

[Shabibilicious]

Agreed.  Maybe they should release all the evidence they have of the torturing and murdering they have done to get themselves placed there in the first place.  Same goes for ISIS right now, if you get caught fighting for them, no trial, no prison, just a bullet to the head and a shallow unmarked grave the coyotes can find easily.

 

I'd hate to scratch my shovel.    

 

GO RV, and NO BV

[DiveDeepSix]

I'd hate to scratch my shovel.    

 

GO RV, and NO BV

 

    Not to mention the extra labor involved digging the holes!  I really don't see what the problem is with that photo, it looks like a game of blind folded twister at the proctologist's office, don't they all do that?   NO?  That's it I'm never going to the    again!!!       

[Shabibilicious]

Looks like a cheerleading squad perfecting their pyramid skills.........creepy "spirit finger" guy in the back freaks me out a bit, though.  

 

GO RV, and NO BV 

[DiveDeepSix]

Looks like a cheerleading squad perfecting their pyramid skills.........creepy "spirit finger" guy in the back freaks me out a bit, though.  

 

GO RV, and NO BV 

 

Hmmmm, he does look a bit happy to be doing his "crappy" job, again though, same look my proctologist had, and then he wanted to go camping, of course I said no way, but I did tell him I had a buddy from Michigan who loved to camp!!         

 

Here's what it's supposed to look like Doc!

 

Edited October 22, 2014 by DiveDeepSix

[Shabibilicious]

Hmmmm, he does look a bit happy to be doing his "crappy" job, again though, same look my proctologist had, and then he wanted to go camping, of course I said no way, but I did tell him I had a buddy from Michigan who loved to camp!!         

 

I'm sure Dog53 would love it.......he's been camping for years.    

 

GO RV, and NO BV

[DiveDeepSix]

I'm sure Dog53 would love it.......he's been camping for years.    

 

GO RV, and NO BV

 

        Poor Dog!!   

 

[gymrat76541]

After Abu Ghraib - what do you expect?

 

There are secret pictures from WWII that the public can not see either! LOL

 

You have totally lost your mind IF YOU THINK the public will ever have full disclosure!

[SnowGlobe7]

yup yup yup

[umbertino]

I wonder how many ACLU members, or their sons or daughters, have served in the military?  Nothing good can come from releasing more images.  As always, just my opinion    

 

GO RV, and NO BV

But for sake of truth   don't you think  these photos / facts should be known and those accountable for possible bad acting , tried and punished? A Great Democracy like the US shouldn't be afraid of  showing the truth. It surely is capable of managing the situation

[DiveDeepSix]

But for sake of truth   don't you think  these photos / facts should be known and those accountable for possible bad acting , tried and punished? A Great Democracy like the US shouldn't be afraid of  showing the truth. It surely is capable of managing the situation

 

I don't know Umb, Obama has done a good enough job making the US look like a bunch of idiots, we don't need to throw fuel on the fire.  EVERY country out there has dirt on their hands from some point or another, one or two people don't make up a country though.  People constantly rail about the inhumane treatment of captives there and Gitmo, I think they should have thought about that before they got themselves thrown in there to start with, they aren't there because they were jaywalking.  Personally I would have been ............................ humane................and killed them on the battle field regardless if they wanted to surrender or not, you fight you die, that's it.  If you don't want to die then don't pick up a gun and fight, pretty simple.  This would have saved the tax payers a bunch of money, thus making sure these people never had a chance to kill another innocent human being again and saved any embarrassment these guards brought on themselves, most likely from the stress of seeing to many of their friends hauled away in pieces .  

[Shabibilicious]

But for sake of truth   don't you think  these photos / facts should be known and those accountable for possible bad acting , tried and punished? A Great Democracy like the US shouldn't be afraid of  showing the truth. It surely is capable of managing the situation

 

We don't know that they haven't been disciplined.  I only need to see one picture of a "train wreck" to know it crashed......I don't see the benefit of more pictures.  I must believe there are those lost souls in this world who are on the fence when it comes to the ISIS cause......more pics could be the tipping point for them.  We are at war and further fueling the enemy's hatred for Americans is a bad idea.  I do appreciate your opinion though, Um.    

 

GO RV, and NO BV

[dog53]

I'm sure Dog53 would love it.......he's been camping for years.    

 

GO RV, and NO BV

Watch it fella 

        Poor Dog!!   

 

More like 

 

But to get back on topic.

If we did not cut off anyones head with a small knife.

Then I dont give a fat rats a$$ what we did to them. 

[Shabibilicious]

Peapod put me up to it, Dog........He's incorrigible.    

 

GO RV, and NO BV