A major concern of many who follow the U.S. involvement in the Middle East is the treatment of prisoners and refugees by the American soldiers. The military and the government is now pressured with the decision of whether or not to release an estimated 2100 pictures depicting military abuse of Iraqi and Afghan prisoners. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ordered that the pictures must be released, and now the government has 60 days to decide whether they will release the photos or appeal the decision made by Hellerstein.
This is not the first time a case like this has made the news. Similarly, in 2004, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) pleaded, and eventually sued, for the release of pictures depicting military violence. The ACLU argued that the photos had to be released under the Freedom of Information Act. These disturbing photos, some of which were never actually released to the public, depicted heinous acts by the American soldiers, including piles of naked bodies, prisoners being held on leashes, and even one female soldier pretending to sodomize a naked prisoner with a broom. There are many supporters of this group, and even the Obama Administration has long been in support of the release of the Senate Intelligence Committee's "torture report". Arguments against the release of these photos and this valuable information about American soldiers overseas say that some disturbing photographs could further encourage attacks against the U.S. They say that the photos will be used by terrorist groups, such as ISIS, as propaganda to encourage members to join the group.
Hellerstein has been in charge of making a ruling on the case since 2004. He first stated that the pictures had to be released in 2005, but no action was taken because of deteriorating conditions in Iraq, and a request from Iraqi president Nouri al-Maliki to stop the release of the images to avoid further destabilization in the middle east. After this request, the U.S. gave Secretary of Defense Robert Gates the power to withhold these images for a maximum of three years, if he thought their release could endanger American lives. This power has continually been used by the Secretary of Defense, until this new ruling was just made by Hellerstein. The District Judge wants an exact explanation of how each individual picture could endanger American lives, or else he will again order the release of the photos.
Personally, I believe that at this time it is not in the best interests of the U.S. government to release these photos. With the growing turmoil in many countries in the middle east and the rising power of ISIS, I do think that these images could endanger American lives. What do you think? Should the U.S. government have to release these disturbing photos? Do you agree with Alvin Hellerstein's ruling?
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/21/world/federal-judge-orders-us-government-to-release-photos-of-abu-ghraib-abuse.html
http://www.newsweek.com/government-ordered-release-2100-pictures-detainee-abuse-315680
2 comments:
I agree with you Tim, and I believe that National Security has to come first. If our nation is in danger as a result of these photos, then I think it would be in the best interest of our nation to have these photos unreleased so that American lives are not endangered. Opponents of this viewpoint, however, have a very legitimate argument in that it would be undemocratic to release these photos. Hellerstein is aware that if we attempt to hide these photos other countries would question us as to why the photos would not be released, and may jump to conclusions about our military practices. ISIS could still make propaganda of US, claiming that we are corrupt and are censoring the truth from the public. All of that being considered, if the lives are Americans are at danger because of these photos, then other countries should ultimately respect this and understand why they cannot be released. If it has been over a decade since these pictures were even taken, I don't see why they are now relevant. We have gone this long without them, so I don't think they need to be released many years after.
I agree with Tito, the pictures should not be released at this point in time. The safety of particular citizens and our country as a whole is a much larger priority than the people wanting to see these photos. I think the issue of American soldiers mistreating refugees in the Middle East is an issue that should be dealt with within the military segment of our government only. I think that having the entire public opinion speaking on this issue would only stir up unnecassary conflict and controversy. Also, I think the fact that these pictures were taken so long ago makes them that much more unnecessary to release. Releasing them to the public only has possible negative outcomes. If these pictures are really bad, the U.S. military will receive high amounts of criticism both within the country and worldwide. It would be a major hit to the credibility of our nation and our military. For all these reasons I believe the best decision would be to keep these pictures in secrecy for the time being.
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