Sept. 30, 2005 – A federal judge yesterday found that lawyers for the federal government failed to prove their assertion that privacy and national security should trump the public’s right to know when it comes to photographic and video evidence reportedly documenting extreme abuse and torture at the now-infamous Abu Ghraib prison camp in Iraq.
Sign up to receive NewStandard headlines and extras by e-mail weekday mornings!
- Pentagon Rejects Order to Release Abu Ghraib Abuse Images (Jul 25, 2005)
The decision gives the federal government 20 days to appeal and grants officials the right to "sufficiently redact" the photos.
In the 50-page ruling, District Court Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein ordered the Pentagon to make public photographs and videos reportedly depicting rapes, savage beatings and other horrific actions committed by American soldiers and civilian intelligence agents against Iraqi captives.
The Center for Constitutional rights yesterday applauded Hellerstein’s decision.
"The judge adhered to the basic democratic principles built into the Freedom of Information Act," CCR Legal Director Bill Goodman said in a statement. "Only an informed public can intelligently decide whether its government is doing a good or a bad job."
The group joined with the American Civil Liberties Union, Veterans for Common Sense, Physicians for Human Rights and Veterans for Peace in filing Freedom of Information Act requests and legal papers seeking release of the photos and videos.
According to the Associated Press, Hellerstein ordered the Pentagon to provide the ACLU with 70 photos and three videos. "The freedoms that we champion are as important to our success in Iraq and Afghanistan as the guns and missiles with which our troops are armed," he said. The organization sought 87 photos and four videos
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Yesterday’s decision carries no guarantee. The Pentagon has, in the past, challenged and ignored previous court rulings demanding that the abuse evidence be turned over.
