AP is reporting that U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein today ruled that the Abu Ghraib photos be released.
U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein ordered the release of certain pictures in a 50-page decision that said terrorists in Iraq and
Afghanistan have proven they “do not need pretexts for their barbarism.”
Hallelujia!!!!
So this means that the judge thinks the Government’s argument that release of these photos will be too inflamatory is, well, bull. They will certainly be inflamatory politically.
Yay Judge Hellerstein.
I just hope they get the darn things released before Rummy’s boys can shoot back.
Update: Thanks to Susanhu for this additional information. The ACLU is positively exhuberant over this victory:
[…]
Today’s ruling underscored the importance of public scrutiny and debate about the torture scandal. “The fight to extend freedom has never been easy, and we are once again challenged, in Iraq and Afghanistan, by terrorists who engage in violence to intimidate our will and force us to retreat. Our struggle to prevail must be without sacrificing the transparency and accountability of government and military officials,” Judge Hellerstein said.
[…]
Amrit Singh, an ACLU attorney who argued the case before the court, added: “These images are of critical public interest because they shed light on the scope and severity of the abuse and on what was authorized or permitted by high-ranking U.S. officials. The government cannot continue to hide the truth about what happened and who was ultimately responsible.”
The Center for Constitutional Rights joined with the ACLU and others to bring the FOIA Litigation against the Department of Defense. Their website had this:
The Court, addressing the CIA’s claim that national security prevented the agency from admitting or denying the existence of documents discussing authorized interrogation methods and the creation of secret foreign detention centers, stated that the discussion of these issues in the press indicated that the purpose of the CIA’s refusal was not to protect intelligence activities but rather to conceal “possible violations of the law in the treatment of prisoners” or other embarrassing acts of the agency. As a result, the Court ruled that that:
• The CIA must admit to the existence of a memorandum from the Department of Justice to the CIA interpreting the Convention Against Torture and either produce it or explain its reasons for withholding the document; and
• The DOD must produce hundreds of additional photographs and videos depicting the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Emphasis mine.
Wow, this is even bigger than I thought. The CIA must admit that the torture memorandum exists? And produce it? This is truely a happy day.