British papers are all talking about the Abu Ghraib photos that Obama recently made the decision not to release to the public. **trigger warning on info that follows** Women and young boys being raped, vaginal and anal penetration with multiple objects, forced nakedness and physical abuse were all recorded for the camera. None of this is new news, of course, it was all released in the Taguba report a few years back:

Maj Gen Taguba’s internal inquiry into the abuse at Abu Ghraib, included sworn statements by 13 detainees, which, he said in the report, he found “credible based on the clarity of their statements and supporting evidence provided by other witnesses.”

Among the graphic statements, which were later released under US freedom of information laws, is that of Kasim Mehaddi Hilas in which he says: “I saw [name of a translator] ******* a kid, his age would be about 15 to 18 years. The kid was hurting very bad and they covered all the doors with sheets. Then when I heard screaming I climbed the door because on top it wasn’t covered and I saw [name] who was wearing the military uniform, putting his **** in the little kid’s ***…. and the female soldier was taking pictures.”

The translator was an American Egyptian who is now the subject of a civil court case in the US.

Three detainees, including the alleged victim, refer to the use of a phosphorescent tube in the sexual abuse and another to the use of wire, while the victim also refers to part of a policeman’s “stick” all of which were apparently photographed.

I’m not sure how I feel about the photos not being released. On the one hand, I think that people really need to be punished for encouraging and allowing that bullshit to happen and for doing to begin with–on the other hand, how many survivors have been asked if they want those pictures released? Do survivors really want their assaults plastered all over the internet and international news for anybody to see for the rest of their lives?

Which makes me wonder–how based in politics is this latest scandal? How many people are dying to use those images to “get” people that they hate (aka keep Dem’s in permanent positions of power, etc)?

Again, if the final effect were to get Dick Cheney imprisoned, I would argue that there might be a legitimate reason to disregard the needs of the survivors–but I don’t think that’s going to happen. At least not in U.S. courts. As such, I have to wonder at the hysterical neediness to get the pictures published? Are brown bodies being tortured a fetish the Western World has developed in light of the Afghanistan/Iraq wars?