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Taguba: Rape Photos Not At Issue In Lawsuit -- But They Do Exist
Last week, the Daily Telegraph reported that, according to the retired major general who led a probe into torture at Abu Ghraib, some of the photos whose release the Obama administration is trying to block in the ACLU's lawsuit show rape and sexual abuse by members of the US armed forces.
The administration quickly and strongly denied that the photos in the lawsuit showed such acts -- but appeared not to rule out the possibility that other photos did, prompting speculation that the Telegraph might have gotten its photos mixed up.
And it looks like that's what happened. The retired major general, Antonio Taguba, told Salon Friday night that he hasn't seen the photos in the ACLU lawsuit, and wasn't referring to them when he spoke to the Telegraph. Rather, Taguba was talking about other photos that he looked at as part of his torture investigation.
This clarifies things -- in both directions. The charge that President Obama, in the ACLU lawsuit, is blocking the release of photos that depict such horrific acts, appears to be untrue. But on the more important, underlying issue, Taguba seems to have confirmed that he's seen photos showing US soldiers raping and sexually abusing Iraqi detainees, both male and female -- and therefore that such things occurred.
Josh
Zachary
Well, where are the photos he's referring to? Have they been released by the administration or the last one? It's my impression that the pics he's referring to haven't yet seen the light of day, so his denials appear to be irrelevant to the point that the administration is still sitting on abuse photos. (?)
June 1, 2009 9:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
And who's been charged for the acts depicted in the photos to which Taguba refers?
June 1, 2009 10:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Photos documenting abuse of Abu Ghraib detainees were horrible, but allegations guards and interrogators engaged in systematic rape and physical beatings indicate crimes were much more monstrous than has been admitted up to now. Was this done? And who did it? More to the point, who ordered it done? Who approved these crimes be committed in our name? No more of the "few bad apples" crap. If true, this must be trailed back to its progenitors in the White House and Pentagon.
I can't remember anything in the recent past so deliberately obscured as the details of this story. Taguba saw photos, but not the photos in question. If we follow the progression of his public statements, they seem to indicate he's seen photographic evidence of rape and extreme torture. Why is it so difficult for him to describe cleary, precisely what he saw? Were these outrages the real reasons the enlisted personnel were tried and imprisoned? Because of offenses like this? Are there others out there unpunished? If so, is anything going to be done to rectify that?
Nothing could be worse, at this point, than not knowing - than allowing our imaginations to conjure up fantasies of atrocities that either were worse than we've imagined - or never happened at all. This issue has become a rumor-mill Frankenstein, and the only way to get through it is to release the photos - all of them. Our soldiers won't be in any worse danger than we've already put them in. Do it!
June 1, 2009 10:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
This has been apparent for some time. It's the only possible explanation that allows both men to be "honest" (seems unlikely either would bald-face lie).
This is a strategic blunder. Had Obama just released the photos they likely would not have made many waves at all. Now he's got to answer questions about the entire collection of photos. If the court ruling had been followed, we sure wouldn't have been discussing rape for two weeks.
Political jujitsu indeed. That's what he gets for selecting a cadre of neoconservative assholes to run our military. If we stick with Bush's team we should expect Bush's results ... it is the height of arrogance to believe otherwise.
(Prediction: Next, expect them to create another artificial universe of photos that only involves AG and doesn't address the abuse at other facilities)
June 1, 2009 12:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hmmm ... this was supposed to be a stand-alone comment (But hello to SFC just the same).
June 1, 2009 12:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey, man! By the way, I lost $10 on that Cavaliers tip. THANKS!
June 1, 2009 1:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yet more crimes -
Knowingly concealing a felony is itself a felony technically misprison of a felony.
Haboring suspects is also a felony. Its okay, they are the CIA?
Official misconduct, abuse of system, torture, perjury etc.
Texas has an interesting law called the Law of Parties which states that anyone in the company of a person who commits a crime is liable for the crime too. So perhaps if we call on the TX attorney general to enforce the law against Bush for the felonies committed by the Abu Ghraib guards. Or perhaps we could fund an appeal by Lynndie Englund to overturn her conviction on the grounds that she was denied equal protection by the attorney general.
Where does it all end?
When is Obama going to live up to his statements?
June 1, 2009 12:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Seriously?
Muslims have rioted over cartoons. Obama is trying to lower the temperature, not turn it up. His move makes total sense.
June 1, 2009 1:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think, given the very high value of personal honor held among people of the middle east, that Obama could have won many friends by releasing the photos, apologizing to those who suffered from the abuses, and stated that he felt it was necessary that justice be done.
His blocking of the release makes him appear complicit in the crimes - an act which I see as dishonorable.
June 1, 2009 3:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
If pictures are too inflammatory to view, okay. But then there should be ongoing prosecutions with closed-door nat'l security testimony.
But without prosecutions, we are creating a lawless no-man's-land under cover of national security.
June 9, 2009 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink