Legal Commentary

Obama Changes Mind, Won't Release Prisoner Abuse Photos

By Jeralyn

President Obama has reversed course and decided not to release hundreds of photos depicting prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib and other prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His military advisors have convinced him the release of the photos could be damaging to the troops now serving. He's going to let the courts decide the matter.

But the court already decided and ordered the release of the photos. The Government already sought review and was denied. The Defense Department had agreed to release the photos by May 28 as part of a lawsuit filed years ago by the ACLU.[more...]

"These photographs provide visual proof that prisoner abuse by U.S. personnel was not aberrational but widespread, reaching far beyond the walls of Abu Ghraib," said Amrit Singh, staff attorney with the ACLU. "Their disclosure is critical for helping the public understand the scope and scale of prisoner abuse as well as for holding senior officials accountable for authorizing or permitting such abuse."

Here's a sampling of photos previously released.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on May 13, 2009 (boomark / email).