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Bush Admin Blocks Release of Additional Photos from Abu Graib

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Ant:
If you happen to remember... it was stated way back that there were lots of photos and even video from Abu Graib that never was released.  Those in the know have said for over a year that the unreleased photos paint a picture that is even worse than what we already know.   Bush has been trying to block these from being released since the scandal first broke.  The ACLU and the CCR has been in court for over a year now fighting to have this evidence released to the public, and has continually had to fight against Bush Co. to get this evidence to the public.  After finally appearing to win the court room battles, invoking the Freedom of Information Act, and going thru a court process where it was ruled that the US population has a constitutional right to know what went on in Abu Graib, the Bush Admin once again is attempting to block the release of these images.

http://www.ccr-ny.org/v2/reports/report.asp?ObjID=imOUU2rj8m&Content=608


Bush Administration Files 11th Hour Papers Blocking the Release of Darby CD Photos and Video Of Abu Ghraib Torture

Synopsis

On July 22, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR)  denounced the latest efforts of the Bush Administration to block the release of the Darby photos and videos depicting torture at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison facility.  On June 2, 2004, CCR, along with the ACLU, Physicians for Human Rights, Veterans for Common Sense, and Veterans for Peace filed papers with the U.S. District Court, charging the Department of Defense and other government agencies with illegally withholding records concerning the abuse of detainees in American military custody. Since then, the organizations have been repeatedly rebuffed in their efforts to investigate what happened at the prison.

Description and Status
 
In June, the government requested and received an extension from the judge stating that they needed time in order to redact the faces of the men, women and children believed to be shown in the photographs and videos.  They were given until today to produce the images, but at the eleventh hour filed a motion to oppose the release of the photos and videos, based on an entirely new argument:  they are now requesting a 7(F) exemption from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act to withhold law enforcement-related information in order to protect the physical safety of individuals. Today's move is the latest in a series of attempts by the government to keep the images from being made public and to cover up the torture of detainees in U.S. custody around the world.
 
Joseph Darby was the U.S reservist who turned over the photos and videos to U.S. Army officials and touched off the Abu Ghraib scandal in April 2004.
 
"This is absolutely unacceptable," stated Michael Ratner, President of the Center for Constitutional Rights. "We can not move forward from this scandal until we have a full public accounting and independent investigation into what happened at Abu Ghraib. The government cannot continue to hide evidence of torture. The time to release these photos and videos was a long time ago."
 
Expectations are that the FOIA request will release more than 100 photos and 4 videos, all believed to document deplorable human rights violations by U.S. military personnel against Iraqi civilians.

Thirteen:
Geneva convention states that prisoners photographs should not be given to the public... it's not a petting zoo where people should just be able to walk in, take pictures and show their friends and family their stay

Low Key:
What the soldiers did at Abu Graib was probably some of the dumbest shit I have ever heard, but what's the big deal about more pictures? Who didn't already know something worse happened? I heard about the tape back when the scandol started. They were saying it had porn they made on it. Sounds like a recycled story.

Rampant:

--- Quote from: $ on July 23, 2005, 12:48:24 AM ---What the soldiers did at Abu Graib was probably some of the dumbest shit I have ever heard, but what's the big deal about more pictures? Who didn't already know something worse happened? I heard about the tape back when the scandol started. They were saying it had porn they made on it. Sounds like a recycled story.

--- End quote ---
because rumors about stuff happening, and actually seeing it happen are two different things.

Low Key:

--- Quote from: Rampant on July 23, 2005, 02:41:16 AM ---
--- Quote from: $ on July 23, 2005, 12:48:24 AM ---What the soldiers did at Abu Graib was probably some of the dumbest shit I have ever heard, but what's the big deal about more pictures? Who didn't already know something worse happened? I heard about the tape back when the scandol started. They were saying it had porn they made on it. Sounds like a recycled story.

--- End quote ---
because rumors about stuff happening, and actually seeing it happen are two different things.

--- End quote ---

The soldiers involved were dishonorably discharged, they are being shunned everywhere they go, and the Bush admin took a huge hit (although I doubt Bush himself knew about the goings on). Basically, lives have already been ruined, and the Abu Graib story was on the front page of the NY Times for what? Three months or so? It's been driven in to the ground. Aren't you tired of hearing about it? As long as the video was used in the conviction of the soldiers involved, why does it matter if it released publcly? They are only trying to protect their privacy. Seriously, they could have destroyed it before the first trials started and nobody would have been the wiser.

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