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July 15, 2005
One week left
Originally scheduled for June 30th, the release of the worst Abu Ghraib photos was rescheduled to July 22nd. I'm not sure how I missed the story. It was covered by a total of one newspaper online, the Orange County Register:
By Eric Rosenberg, Hearst Newspapers, June 19, 2005The Pentagon is preparing to release another batch of photos showing prisoner abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, a step that is likely to renew criticism of the U.S.
The digital photos are from the same batch amassed by Army Spc. Joseph Darby, who was based at Abu Ghraib. Darby turned the photos over to military investigators last year. Later, some photos showing naked Iraqi prisoners being forced to simulate sex acts were broadcast and published.
The ensuing controversy triggered wide criticism of U.S. policies at the prison.
To date, eight soldiers have pleaded guilty or been convicted at court-martial in the scandal.
A federal judge in New York on June 2 ordered the government to prepare to release the rest of the Darby photos in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union under the Freedom of Information Act.
In issuing his order, U.S. District Court Judge Alvin Hellerstein of New York City gave the government until June 30 to get the photos ready by removing information in the pictures that might identify the victims. The judge said the photographs "are the best evidence the public can have of what occurred" at Abu Ghraib.
David Kelley, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, has asked Hellerstein for an extension - until July 22 - to get all the video and still pictures ready for release.
In a June 10 letter to Hellerstein, Kelley said the government would have the photographs ready by June 30. But "in order to address all of the responsive Darby images at one time," he requested that Hellerstein not order the release of any until the video processing is completed July 22.
Kelley said the Army's Criminal Investigation Crime Lab is processing the videos frame-by-frame.
The Bush administration is likely to pay a public-relations penalty for failing to release all of the Abu Ghraib images sooner...
I guess I can understand why the networks are not interested. It's not like images of Iraqi women and children being raped by American soldiers and their translators could possibly inflame Iraqi public opinion and push the movement for withdrawal of American forces over the top:
Baghdad – Abdel-Wahed Tohmeh – Al-Hayat, July 4, 2005103 members of the [ 275-member] National Assembly (the Parliament) have demanded the adoption of a resolution cancelling the request made by the Government to the UN Security Council to extend the presence of multinational forces, and urging the Government to put “a clear plan for army building and a timetable for the withdrawal of occupation troops” from Iraq.
Falah Hassan Shneishel MP (of the “Independent National Bloc”) [the INB is the parliamentary bloc of Muqtada al-Sadr’s Current, which plays a prominent role in the organization of the political fight against the occupation] explained that the number of MPs demanding a timetable for the withdrawal of occupation troops has exceeded 103 after more than 20 additional MPs have adopted the statement issued two weeks ago in this regard.
By my count, they only need 35 more votes for a 138 seat majority, even assuming that no one abstains or fails to show up for the vote.
Posted by Mike at July 15, 2005 03:20 PM
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