Photographs of Terrorist Abuse

Appeals court ordered to revisit decision to release detainee photos

The American Civil Liberties Union had filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the photos and the Bush administration declined. The ACLU's perserverance is now prevailing. President Obama first agreed to release them, but he was strongly discouraged from doing so. Therefore, he signed the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, which gave the Department of Defense the right to withhold the photos that show terrorists being tortured. The battle is now going to court.

There are two sides to this issue. Both sides have legitmate claims. The government is trying to protect the country and are pulling the "national security" card. The other side is the public's right to know and not remain ignorant of issues. I believe that the dangers the photos would cause are minimal compared to the issues that have risen due to their nature. If they are being withheld to their contraversial content, that is NOT a reason to keep them from the American people. Citizens should be able to know what the government is doing in their name if issues occur, it is our right and privilege to deal with them.


http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/11/30/detainees.photos/index.html