These images are not all of the withheld photographs and videos that were ordered released in September 2005 by District Judge Alvin Hellerstein. The government has stalled by appealing that order. These photographs, a few of which reprinted in a diary at Daily Kos, are being published by an Australian newspaper, the Sydney Morning-Herald.
The ACLU, the principal plaintiff in the suit, published this press release on September 29, 2005:
A federal judge has ordered the release of photos and videos of detainee abuse at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, saying that the photos may answer important questions about government accountability. In seeking the release of the images, the American Civil Liberties Union and its allies said the images are a critical component in the quest for public accountability. …
“[T]he quest for public accountability. …” My, isn’t the ACLU quixotically “quaint” in its aspirations.
The photographs were somehow leaked to an Australian television program, then to the Sydney newspaper. SBS’s Dateline “plans to broadcast about 60 previously unpublished photographs that the US Government has been fighting to keep secret in a court case with the American Civil Liberties Union,” reports the SMH.
Some of the photos are similar to those published in 2004, others are different. They include photographs of six corpses, although the circumstances of their deaths are not clear. There are also pictures of what appear to be burns and wounds from shotgun pellets.
The executive producer of Dateline, Mike Carey, said he was showing the pictures leaked to his program because it was important people understood what had happened at Abu Ghraib.
You may view several photographs at the SMH newspaper site. As Kevin Drum notes at Washington Monthly:
Dateline airs on Wednesday evening in Australia, which is early Wednesday morning on the U.S. East Coast. Their website has one new picture up now, and presumably they will post more of them after the show airs. They say that the photos are among those that were shown privately to members of Congress shortly after the original Abu Ghraib story broke.
While I am glad these photos were leaked, it is vastly more important — in fact, mandatory — that the U.S. government comply with the judge’s order to release ALL PHOTOGRAPHS and videos. No more leaks. Let’s see them all, and then apologize to the world. Thanks to Man Eegee for the tip on the release of these photos.
There is only one word that I can think of to describe what has been done in our name: Satanic.
We need to release everything. All photos, all videos, all documents, all concealed reports, all witness and detainee statements. And then we must, as a nation, apologize to the world. Only then can we begin to heal and to ameliorate our abject standing in the world.
I definitely agree:
Sunshine is disinfectant. It’s not enough that people know that not all U.S. citizens approve of this horrific system. We have to expose ourselves to the world, and ask for the world’s forgiveness.
And it would certainly be better for us to do so now, voluntarily, with some faint hope of forgiveness still at hand than to have that “exposure to the world” imposed upon us. Regrettably, I suspect that the latter is the more likely scenario. So it goes.
These are people who have been denied due process.
The SPCA started a trend that would not allow this done to animals, then children, then convicts. No guilt has even been claimed for those shown here.
Satanic ? That has to be about as close to a realistic evaluation as any.
This is about the fifth comment I’ve started, it’s hard to find words for how I feel. Outraged, horrified, grieving. This is evil, this is purely evil and there is no excuse in the world that makes it any thing but evil.
I want the damn things blown up and hung in every church where the leader called GB a man of God, I want to shove them in every republicans face, in their kids faces, in their parents faces. I know that’s wrong, still, I want to see some shame, some of the shame I feel just for having these atrocities carried out in my name by my country. Then I want it to stop.
The Right and Bush are always talking about “evil.” And “evil-doers.”
Guess it takes one to know one.
One thing that Freud definitely got right on target was in his observations on ego defense mechanisms: projection (seeing in others that which exists within one’s self) is something of an artform for Bu$hCo and their assorted enablers.
will view the photos the same way you do. I mean I don’t think they will feel the same emotions you do, or have the same opinion regarding the activities shown.
In most cases I think you are right, but I do think that being forced to own these pictures in public would cause some of them shame. It’s one thing to be a ‘closet’ sadist,a quiet bigot, another to have to explain it to your grandmother or your child. Perhaps the look in their families eyes would give them a nudge? I’m probably clutching at straws but it’s that or contemplate whether it is possible that a large number of people who walk with me, work with me, eat beside me in diners, have no souls. And that is too hard to deal with for my feeble will so I will probably continue clutching at straws.
When I go to the Australian site and click to see the photos I get a Hong Kong add.
It works for me. But, just in case, here is the link to the story, which has the link to the photos.
There is an ad that plays before the slide show comes up.
And if one is ad averse, one can choose to skip the ad by clicking the out-of-the-way link in the lower right hand corner that says “skip ad.” Saved some time. 🙂
Just filed my taxes. Need to figure out what organizations I want to join/donate to this year. I feel like I do these little piddling donations to too many groups and would like to focus more. I am actually disgusted with my level of giving, and unfortunately, though I pay a lot of taxes, most of that money isn’t going where I’d like it to go.
Do you guys have any opinions on HR orgs? Amnesty vs. Human rights watch? Or the ACLU for that matter?
I’d love to get some feedback.
I clicked on it and nothing comes out. Have the photos been whiteweshed?
For anyone who might be wondering about the current status of the ACLU lawsuit:
The appeal (05-6286, Second Circuit) is now proceeding on an expedited schedule, as follows:
It’s also worth noting that there are continuing proceedings in the district court (SDNY docket no. 04-4151), including further motions and cross-motions for summary judgment. I haven’t had a chance to look at these, however, so I can’t say for sure what the subject of the newer motions might be. The timetable for this series of motions is roughly similar to that of the appeal, with the final reply brief scheduled to be submitted by March 20. Judge Hellerstein has tended to rule fairly quickly in this case, so there might be another opinion by early spring.