Abuse Photos Include Images Of Rape And Sexual Assault: Report

The Pentagon on Thursday denied the Daily Telegraph report that photographs of Iraqi prisoner abuse, whose release U.S. President Obama wants to block, include images of apparent rape and sexual abuse.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the newspaper had shown "an inability to get the facts right."

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs also dismissed the report.

"I want to speak generally about some reports I've witnessed over the past few years in the British media. And in some ways, I'm surprised it filtered down," Gibbs said. "Let's just say if I wanted to look up -- if I wanted to read a writeup today of how Manchester United fared last night in the Champion's League cup, I might open up a British newspaper. If I was looking for something that bordered on truthful news, I'm not entirely sure it'd be in the first pack of clips I'd pick up."

* * * * *

LONDON (AP) -- A former U.S. general said graphic images of rape and torture are among the photos of Iraqi prisoner abuse that President Obama's administration does not want released.

Retired Major Gen. Antonio Taguba, who oversaw the U.S. investigation into the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison, told Britain's Daily Telegraph in an article published Wednesday that he agreed with Obama's decision not to release the pictures.

"I am not sure what purpose their release would serve other than a legal one and the consequence would be to imperil our troops, the only protectors of our foreign policy, when we most need them," Taguba was quoted by the Daily Telegraph. "The mere description of these pictures is horrendous enough, take my word for it."

Two Obama administration officials didn't immediately respond to e-mail requests for comment Wednesday night.

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The prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib exploded after photos taken by soldiers appeared in 2004.

According to the Telegraph, the new photos depicted much more serious abuses than previously documented.

One photo reportedly showed an American soldier apparently raping a female prisoner and another was said to show a male translator raping a male detainee, the Telegraph reported.

It was not immediately clear from the report who had seen the photos or how they might have been obtained.

The Telegraph said the photos relate to 400 cases of alleged abuse between 2001 and 2005 at Abu Ghraib and six other prisons.

The newspaper said the images in the photos were backed up by statements from Taguba's report into prisoner abuses at Abu Ghraib obtained under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act.

Comments

[offred]

Obama has to get tough and dump all the Bush burrow-ins, especially at the Pentagon and the Department of Justice. We have enough to deal with as a nation without the moles continuing the dishonest, illegal, and unethical practices of the Cheney/Bush administration.

Free Don Siegelman and Paul Minor!

[offred]

Bryan Whitman is a Rumsfeld holdover who has a history of lying. Read the article below:

http://www.americablog.com/2008/07/bushrumsfeld-political-hack-bryan.html

[Deadgnome]

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=96365&sectionid=3510203

[Chazmania]

Obama is another drone of an establishment that wishes to make you all slaves!

[Deadgnome]

And there ya go droning on.

[cimbri]

I was very pleased and impressed that Gibbs blistered the British press for their anti-American articles.

[pfrogger]

The Taguba Report 2004
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6527.htm

WARNING: graphic information
Little Known Military Thug Squad Still Brutalizing Prisoners at Gitmo Under Obama
http://www.alternet.org/story/140022?page=1
Scahill reports US tortures detainees with germ warfare and gasoline enemas. Semper Fi?
http://oxdown.firedoglake.com/diary/5297
Military attorney: Waterboarding is ‘tip of the iceberg’
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/05/20/worse-than-waterboarding/
Sy Hersh : Children Sodomized at Abu Ghraib as Mothers Watched
http://theragblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/sy-hersh-children-sodomized-at-abu.html

No Bravery - A nation blind to their disgrace
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=2498

[pfrogger]

others have commented that this has been known.
frankly, we, the ignorant, have been blind.

the Taguba report was in 2004. in it is detailed the war crimes that America as a whole is guilty of. we can rationalize it as "they" did it in our name. but the truth is that the government knew. we elected them (Bush aside, what about the rest of them?), and for the longest time, his approval ratings have been very high. hell Obama won against McCain only 52 to 46%.
and what would have happened if the financial crisis hadn't occurred?
are we innocent? are we as a country innocent?

[ash711]

Where are all the articles about our health care system failing millions of people including children. Where is the stories about the 65 billion Bernie Madoff stole and the people who have been financially destroyed and our considering suicide. Where are the stories of soldiers who are mentally shattered due to their 4 tours in Iraq. Where are the stories of the parents and family members of the 4000+ soldiers dead and the hardship of the 30,000 wounded. What is their future and their opportunity for meaningful work. I was against the war from the beginning and Bush and Cheney are war criminals but this farce that Sy Hersh is reporting is SO SELFSERVING AND DISHONEST. All the people who want to throw OUR SOLDIERS UNDER THE BUS, spend 1 month in the 120 degree heat and worry when the next IED goes off and your life ends. Bring back the DRAFT and both wars will end in no time. Once Congressmens children and Ivy League types have their kids in this war, that will stop all the DO-GOODER MORAL IDEAS about how terrible we are to the enemy. This is all a smoke screen to all the REAL ISSUES this country faces.

[ChelseaC]

This story IS very important.

BTW, Sam Stein did an excellent report on health care yesterday.
Too bad you missed it.
I agree. I would like to see more stories on this health care crisis--not in lieu of this important issue on illegal torture but I'd like to see health care issues looming larger than let's say --Levi/ Bristol and Miss California stories--p­lease.....­........

[pfrogger]

the Taguba report is fake?
really?

that's not a real story?
all your other interests are important. but the Taguba report highlights some very serious problems and these will have dire consequences for us all, as well as have dire consequences for our soldiers right now.

smoke screen? elaborate?

[offred]

Unfortunately, most Americans are too lazy to take the extra half hour a day it might take to consult out-of-mainstream, alternative media news sources for a broader picture.

I have the Taguba Report on Abu Ghraib bookmarked to send to friends who say enhanced interrogation is nothing more than the equivalent of fraternity hazing: http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/iraq/tagubarpt.html

Just a couple of tidbits from the report:

'(U) Threatening male detainees with rape;

(U) Allowing a military police guard to stitch the
wound of a detainee who was injured after being slammed
against the wall in his cell;

(U) Sodomizing a detainee with a chemical light and
perhaps a broom stick.'

For you salacious, sadistic enhanced interrogation proponents, you have to read the whole report to find the info about the sexual abuse of female and male detainees. Maybe that will get you to read the whole damn report.

[LTBROWN]

Because that kind of transparency is re-victimizing them. I don't want a part in that. No Thank you.

[LTBROWN]

President Obama should NOT release these pictures to THE GENERAL PUBLIC. Only to those who will be trying the offenders. Judges, Jurors, etc., are the only ones who need to see them. and punished anyone who participated. I don't want to see anyone being raped. And IF I WERE RAPED I WOULD NOT WANT MY PICTURES PUBLICIZED. Are you kidding me? What kind of saddistic people are you guys? You didn't help rape them but you want to see it being done? Oh God, that is saddistic too. These victims would have to resume their lives somewhere afterwards. How much of a life will they have, AFTER THE ENTIRE WORLD HAS SEEN VIDEO AND PHOTO'S OF THEM BEING RAPED? Put the shoe on your or your precious loved ones foot. Not so willing to have that exposed now are you? Give us a commission and give them the pictures. We don't need and those victims don't deserve transparency where them being victimized is broadcast to every layman. No Way!

[ohboy]

I would presume that if you were raped it would not have been a direct result of Defense Department policy approved by the President of the United States and the Attorney General. Nor would I presume that to initiate any, and I mean ANY type of legal recourse, you would have to take your case to the court of public opinion, as will be necessary to get any form of justice for these innocent victims.

Your another "poor me" American who doesn't have the intellectual capacity or emotional fortitude to own up to the torture committed in your name, your country's name and funded with your tax dollars.

[sisterdebmac]

I understand what you're saying completely. My question to you is do you understand that their identities would be obscured? Just as their private parts would be. No one wants to splash these people's faces across the media. No one.

[ChelseaC]

I think we need to see the truth and deal with it.
I do see your point though--I feel sad that the victims will be seen--but their faces and identities could be concealed.

All the offenders need to be punished. I think the drive for the media to publish these photos are because nothing appears to be done about this and the world is watching.
If we had the reassurance that this was being investigated instead of being told to "move on" the media might be more patient.
You stated only judges and a jury should see these photos--but what if that doesn't happen?
Crimes against humanity have been commited. No matter what other problems are happening in this world--and yes there are many--that is no excuse to keep quite about this.
This is NOT a mere distraction--it's a big problem.

[MinerSam]

Thanks God (if there is one) that the Obama administraion did not release more pictures.
Doesn't anyone Remember what happened simply from a Cartoon!?!**

That said, THOSE AT THE TOP who are responsible for ordering those at the bottom to execute these illegal actions, ***AND THEN PUT THEM IN JAIL FOR FOLLOWING THEIR ORDERS ** So they could win an election SHOULD BE PROSECUTED TO THE FULL EXTENT OF THE LAW!

And then those at the top who did that should be prosecuted for lying to Congress and to the American People. And after being breifed 40 times about Al Quaeda's intent for failing to protect us from 9/11 and then conducted a lie filled abusive campaign where they claimed that only they can protect us.

Then these criminals at the top should be prosecuted for looting the US Treasury giving 30% of tax cuts to 130,000 of their largest contributors and sending plane loads of $100 bills to bigus texas companies in Iraq.

And then these criminals should be prosecuted for stopping the count of the popular vote and declaring themselves the winners.

And then these criminals should be prosecuted for creating products in which they chopped up mortgages and sucked the economy dry. These Republican criminals are COWARDS.

[MinerSam]

While we prosecute Criminals: The Republican Majority for NOT DOING THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL JOB OF OVERSIGHT.

And what about prosecutions of the Republican appeasers: The Talking Heads who POISONED THE INFORMATION Pipelines so critical to an informed electorate by giving The Swiftboat Liars for the War in Vietnam tens of billions in free Cable, Air, TV time. IT IS THEY WHO FAILED TO REPORT SUCH THINGS AS 4 Major policy speeches by Kerry WHILE PUSHING HARD FOR THE Bush second term.

People like Chris Mathews who did it for 6 weeks every night prior to the elections.
Gloria Borger who did it 60 minutes every night on CNBC.
Judy Woodroof who --- IMMEDIATELY AFTER the Florida Attorney General refused to give an entire Florida County one more hour to complete the vote recount-- Had the audacity to turn to the CNN Camera and state as if fact: "Now Florida has counted ALL the votes"
Washington Week: Week after week as we had ONE CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS AFTER ANOTHER Repeated (and still do) Republican Talking Point Lies as if fact.
Blitzer: Who looked shocked UP UNTIL the just other day when a reporters on his (REPUBLICAN)station Challanged his continuing use of a REPUBLICAN LIES AS IF FACT.
Not to mention FOX "news" that announced the Democratic candidacy of General Clark his picture surrounded by LARGE DOWNWARD MOVING ARROWS.
ABC on 9/11 anniversary showed a FICTICIOUS movie trashing Democrats as a lead in to a Bush speech from the Oval office. Etc. etc. etc.

[sisterdebmac]

Etc, indeed. It never ends, the list of crimes, does it Sam? Fanned you. You speak the truth.

[tploomis]

One problem with not releasing the photos is that the imagination can go wild. And who's to say that what you imagine is not truth?

[ChelseaC]

I'm waiting for justice...­..........­..........­......

[FrozenNorthObserver]

over 4000 comments and HP is pushing this story to the far back pages. Dis gra ceful

[MacQ]

The original story wasn't pushed to the back pages. Only the outing of that story as false.
Print a lie on the front page, print the correction on A23.

[sisterdebmac]

Dreaming is free. Enjoy your refusal to wake up.

[Antonio518]

Americans rape people all the time. If they are caught they are given life. Sometimes they are given the death penalty. If there is something the Anglo Saxon Puritans who run this country wont tolerate is anything, even remotely, to do with sex. Sex is dirty. However, if you are an American soldier overseas raping heathens and colored people, that doesnt count. Then you are an "honored defender of our country". Just imagine-sex without consequences. How tempting can it be? You have been denied sex all your life, in spite of having it in your face in every ad, in every movie-just dont try to do it. Now you can. Now you are even encouraged toward sadism. Go! Do it! Are those soldiers to blame, or is US culture to blame? Did anyone tell them prisoners must have respectful treatment? HA!

[ohboy]

We're all to blame. In case you haven't heard, members of the U.S. Congress have been saying lately that torture is okay when we do it.

[sisterdebmac]

What these people did was not about sex. It was about power and manipulation. All rape is about that, but this? It was rape on STEROIDS.

[pixiepotpie]

Man, what planet are you from?! Life for Rape? or the Death Penalty?!!!! that's utterly ridiculous and i challenge you to provide any evidence whatsoever of your claims, aside from cases far more outrageous than the "norm." Rape in this country is actually one of the most difficult crimes to win a conviction on (let alone a worthy jail sentence), as (1) there are typically no witness or evidence, unless DNA, and even that doesn't prove consent; (2) rape victims are Publically violated Again through the court system (via malicious defense attorneys, etc.), and hence are usually hesitant to even report it, let alone testify; (3) juries are often likely to Blame the victim (through some misguided notion that They would have done something different, therefore said rape wouldn't have occured, therefore it's the Victim's fault, which in some insane way makes them (juriest) feel "safer"). It goes on and on. ... regardless, whether or not the pix are released (and i think they Should be, w/o revealing identities, as i think we all know Some of us aren't to be trusted), many of us actually Do care about Anyone of Any color being violated in such a way, and even more of us want Justice for these crimes. as for your final questions . . .well, hell. :)

[ChelseaC]

Well said Pixie.

[ron ray]

Obama needs to be very careful before his guy Gibbs denies this stuff. the content is hardly a secret.

but hey, it's not rape, it's agressive interrogation, right?

[FrozenNorthObserver]

Flashback: Torture photos depict ‘ra pe and mur der,’ Sen. Graham said in 2004

http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/05/28/flashback-torture-photos/

[Frenbar]

When this story first broke, Seymor Hersh and others reported that there was a huge volume of media, including video and tapes of rape and other atrocities. This mistreatment was clearly widespread and rampant.