Tortured rationale

The Obama administration has backtracked on its promise to release photos of torture at U.S.-run prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama “believes that the release of these photos could pose a threat to men and women we have in harm’s way,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said. Gibbs also said that the release of […]

The Obama administration has backtracked on its promise to release photos of torture at U.S.-run prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Obama “believes that the release of these photos could pose a threat to men and women we have in harm’s way,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

Gibbs also said that the release of the photos “would provide a disincentive” for further investigation of abuse. “Nothing is added by the release of the photos,” he said.


Amrit Singh of the ACLU, which sued to get the photos released, calls the excuses a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham.

“The decision to not release the photographs makes a mockery of President Obama’s promise of transparency and accountability,” he said. “It is essential that these photographs be released so that the public can examine for itself the full scale and scope of prisoner abuse that was conducted in its name.”

Update: The Rev. Richard Killmer, Executive Director of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, issued this statement late Wednesday:

“President Obama promised to make his administration ‘the most open and transparent in history.’ It is unfortunate that he appears to have chosen to backpedal on that promise on the issue of U.S.-sponsored torture. Not only should he allow the release of these photos, but he should also move to establish a Commission of Inquiry to investigate and report on our use of torture during the past several years.”

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