Withheld Photos May Show Rapes
The Telegraph (U.K.) is reporting today that the photos withheld from release show pictures of rape and sexual abuse of prisoners.
At least one picture shows an American soldier apparently raping a female prisoner while another is said to show a male translator raping a male detainee.
Further photographs are said to depict sexual assaults on prisoners with objects including a truncheon, wire and a phosphorescent tube.
Another apparently shows a female prisoner having her clothing forcibly removed to expose her breasts.
The administration implied that the photos they refused to release were no worse than the ones already seen. Seymour Hersh reported that some of the assaults may have been videotaped. The information about the sexual assault of prisoners at Abu Ghraib is not new, but it has now been confirmed with release of parts of the Taguba report.
Among the graphic statements, which were later released under US freedom of information laws, is that of Kasim Mehaddi Hilas in which he says: “I saw [name of a translator] ******* a kid, his age would be about 15 to 18 years. The kid was hurting very bad and they covered all the doors with sheets. Then when I heard screaming I climbed the door because on top it wasn’t covered and I saw [name] who was wearing the military uniform, putting his **** in the little kid’s ***…. and the female soldier was taking pictures.”
The translator was an American Egyptian who is now the subject of a civil court case in the US.
Three detainees, including the alleged victim, refer to the use of a phosphorescent tube in the sexual abuse and another to the use of wire, while the victim also refers to part of a policeman’s “stick” all of which were apparently photographed.
If the pictures show rapes, that is extremely horrifying. I certainly understand the reaction to not show the pictures. However, we need to know the truth. For one, what has happened to these abusers? Are they in prison? Are they still serving? By holding back the photos, we may be protecting criminals.
I . . . I . . . I . . .
In 2004, enough americans voted for this to re-elect bush.
I can’t wait to hear Liz Cheney’s excuses. No wonder Liz and Dick were so frantic to get their bullshit injected into the media before this news hit.
…what has happened to these abusers? Are they in prison? Are they still serving?
Will they come home and run for Congress on their war record?
Good thing torture works, or I bet we’d all be feeling pretty bad right now.
They would prefer you use “enhanced interrogation techniques” for all things considered to be negative in the public eye.
You know, instead of rape, torture, murder, etc…
Question 1: Why in the hell would you take pictures of it?
Question 2: Why hasn’t there been a court marshal for everyone involved?
Look for the “war is hell” defense coupled with the “shit happens” defense followed by the “you can’t control everyone’s personal actions” defense coming in three, two, one….
How does rape fit into the ticking time bomb scenario?
I wonder if that “male translator” was the same translator discharged for being openly gay.
If this is true and not a bunch of horse shit, it explains why he was discharged.
If you’re gonna buttfuck someone of the same sex while on duty, make sure nobodys’s watching.
How does rape fit into the ticking time bomb scenario?
Jack Bauer never had to rape anyone. Isn’t he the “ticking time bomb” template?
I’ve heard from somewhere that the Australians have some of these pictures and they are publishing them.
Now it is time to make things up so that the pictures will be released.
If that happens to be true, then it would be highly improper to release the photos. We would never release photos of an American citizen if we happen to catch photos of a rape.
This has no public good to even speculate. It doesn’t regard any public policy. The people involved were criminals and were so prosecuted. That is how the ACLU found out. They did not discover a crime being perpetrated by the government. They want to release crime photos which have no public good. I trust the President when he says they are not worse than what has been seen. If that isn’t true, then I will trust his wisdom.
Brian, this has absolutely nothing to do with interrogations. Put hundreds thousands of people in one place and a few will commit crimes. Don’t act as if those crimes were policy.
The idea that any good could occur from release crime scene photos is beyond reason. Releasing them won’t change policy because there was none supporting it. They won’t change lives of the victims because they wouldn’t want such dishonor. It won’t bring the perpetrators to justice because they already were. It can only be distorted and misrepresented as if we endorsed it. That is why the President says no.
Few crimes occurred because of the caliber of our people, but those which did were reprehensible and prosecuted.
Crimes should be prosecuted, very simple.
Sexual crimes are not part of the interrogation authority.
Mike Protack
Why are we covering it up? We have the right to know if these people have been punished.
IIRC, the translator in question was an Iraqi, but I’m not sure about that one.
Sexual crimes weren’t part of interrogation? That’s not true. There are many reports of sexual humiliation of detainees.
BTW, I’m racking my brain here, what was the name of the General who was sent to Abu Ghraib to “Gitmo-ize” it? He was never punished, right? So, to say that Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib have no connection at all is just not true.
David sounds just like Rumsfeld there. Didn’t he excuse the lack of security of in Iraq by saying “stuff happens?”
“Jack Bauer never had to rape anyone”
or take a leak either 🙂
It is not an excuse. It is a fact. The only people who needed to see the photos are those related to the administration of justice. Assuming your allegation were true, is this not voyeurism? Would the ACLU want the rape of white women shown or is that limited to seeing brown people because we aren’t sensitive to their privacy.
I’m not too impressed with the way Obama is handling this mess. I hope he ends up doing the right thing, whatever that is.
My best bet is to blow it wide open. Indict a cross section of those involved from the actual perpetrators to the CIC himself. Then let the prosecutors decide what pictures get released. They’d be treated like any other evidence.
Fact. There were 16 prisons in Iraq…they were using torture against Iraqis from day one. Amnesty International, Red Cross, and Attorneys at the Center for Consitutional Rights, all have pictures of the rapes. They were raping young children (a copy of the screams from the Iraqi children who were sodomized with a florescent light bulb) is already making its way around the net. Obama cant hide the truth, no democrats should be stating the “pictures shouldnt be shown”. The only reason any demorat would say that, is because the top demorats in DC, had the knowledge, and knew all about it…and said nothing. Pelosi, Biden, Rockefeller, et al, knew all about it.
The pictures are going to come out anyway, so if Obama thinks he can hide these photos from the american people (the rest of the world has already seen them), it is obvious as Paul Craig Roberts reports…Obama is complicit in the crimes, and the american people are complicit if they do not stand up for the rule of law. We can at any time have another Bush/Cheney who would use the precedent as a reason of their own to continue torture.
Obama shouldnt be involved….this should have been turned over to an Independent Inspector General who would ferret out the truth, no matter which party is involved. If Pelosi or any of the demorats knew and kept quiet…they should all be voted out of office.
Obama is showing the people there is not much difference between bush and obama. 10 more years in Iraq, no torture investigations, (while torture continues to this day around the world under Obama), rendtition continues today.
Will democrats actually have the guts to expose their own….or only the republicans.