National Security Law

Why Obama Refuses to Release Abu-Ghraib Torture Pictures?

Background of the Problem

In 2003 an American-led coalition launched an invasion of Iraq, capturing thousands of Iraqi military personnel. Unlike the earlier conflict, Iraqi prisoners remained in captivity for a prolonged period, and combatant prisoners were mixed with individuals held for criminal offenses. By not separating POWs from civil prisoners, American commanders demonstrated that the Geneva Convention would not be explicitly followed in postwar Iraq (Peters, 64).

In early 2004, disturbing reports surfaced in the media alleging the systematic abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of their American captors. Shown in photographs published in numerous media outlets, prisoners were forced to strip naked and assume humiliating positions, while being threatened with physical punishment or execution for disobedience. The shocking images brought the issue of POWs to the forefront of American political discussions (Pound, 24).

The treatment of the prisoners, particularly those held at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, certainly involved massive violations of the Geneva Convention. According to some of the individuals accused in the abuse scandal, civilian authorities and members of the military intelligence community gave orders to ”soften up” the prisoners for interrogation (Kellberg, 2007).

In response, a massive system of abuses arose that included alleged torture, sexual assault, deprivation of food and clothing, and deliberate attempts to destroy the physical and mental health of the POWs. In response to the initial allegations, the Army immediately removed the commandant of the Abu Ghraib prison and initiated courtsmartial against the prison guards shown in the photographs (Barry, Hosenball, Dehghanpisheh, Liu, Hirsh, Wingert, Gutman, Gegax, Moreau, Yousafzai, Dickey, 28).

Outrage at the treatment of the prisoners was not limited to the American public; the evidence led to an immediate response within the region and galvanized opposition to the occupation of Iraq. Several individuals were convicted of a variety of offenses relating to the Abu Ghraib scandal; most chose to plead guilty to lesser offenses rather than facing courts martial (pubrecord.org).

In 2004, photographic revelations of the use of torture by U.S. agents in Iraq, particularly at the Abu Ghraib prison and Bagram prison, as well as the publication of official memoranda authorizing interrogation tactics that constitute torture for suspects in the “war on terror,” escalated into a major crisis for the administration of President George Bush (2001-2009). The actions constituted a breach of federal law as well as treaties that the United States had ratified. This crisis led the United Nations to reaffirm the universal and nonderogable prohibition of torture (www.wsws.org).

Beginning in 2004, accounts of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture, rape, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq (also known as Baghdad Correctional Facility) came to public attention. These acts were committed by personnel of the 372nd Military Police Company of the United States Army together with additional US governmental agencies (www.wsws.org).

As revealed by the 2004 Taguba Report, a criminal investigation by the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command had already been underway since 2003 ...