In September, a three-judge panel ordered the government to release photos as part of an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit seeking information on the abuse of prisoners held in U.S. custody overseas. The Bush administration petitioned an appeals court to overturn the decision forcing the DoD to show photos of Iraq and Afghanistan prisoners receiving abuse.
“This petition is a transparent attempt to delay accountability for the widespread abuse of prisoners held in U.S. custody abroad by keeping the public in the dark,” said Amrit Singh, staff attorney with the ACLU. “These photographs demonstrate that the abuse of prisoners held in U.S. custody abroad was not aberrational and not confined to Abu Ghraib, but the result of policies adopted by the highest-ranking officials in the administration. The immediate release of these photos is critical to bringing an end to the Bush administration’s torture policies and for preventing prisoner abuse in the future.”
The government has attempted to expand exemptions allowed under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for withholding records. However, the appeals court decided against the Bush appeals. Already more than 100,000 pages of government documents have been released because of the lawsuit. they can be seen online here: www.aclu.org/torturefoia
Filed under: News | Tagged: afghanistan, Bush, iraq, prisoners, torture
