The
US Defense Department said Tuesday it is weighing how best to manage the imminent release of photos showing abuse of detainees amid concern about an international backlash.
The Pentagon announced last week it had agreed to release hundreds of photos from US-run prisons in Iraq and elsewhere in response to a long-running lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
The photos were used as evidence in criminal investigations of US soldiers accused of abusing detainees in the "war on terror" during president George W. Bush's administration
"There is an extensive effort underway in this building, and in
Central Command, and in Iraq and
Afghanistan ... to determine the best way in which to share these photos with the public," Defense Department press secretary
Geoff Morrell told reporters.
He said the photos, which date from 2001 to 2006, would not show a systematic pattern of abuse and that such cases were the exception.
"I think it needs to be put in perspective that these, ultimately, represent a very small percentage, a minute percentage of the overall interactions that our forces have had with detainees," Morrell said.
"It does not in any way excuse the behavior that's depicted in these photos. Some of it is appalling.
"But I don't think it speaks to an overall manner of our forces dealing with Iraqis in detention settings."
The ACLU says the photos refute the former Bush administration's claim that torture and abuse occurred as a result of a few "bad apples" and was widespread.
Morrell said the commander of US forces in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, was so concerned about how the photos will be perceived in the Middle East that he devoted a large portion of a soon-to-be-released interview with an Arabic language television channel to the subject.
"He's very concerned about making sure the people of Iraq and throughout the region understand the context here and that this is history, and that it no longer goes on, and that it did not reflect an overall standard of behavior for our forces in Iraq or Afghanistan," Morrell said.
Photos showing abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib caused global outrage and were exploited by Al-Qaeda and associated groups to recruit and rally anti-US sentiment.
The case dates back to a Freedom of Information request in 2003.
After a federal appeals court ruled against the government last year,
Obama administration officials chose to release the photos instead of taking the case to the Supreme Court.
The
Bush administration had refused to release the images to the public,
arguing that the disclosure would fuel outrage and violate US obligations toward detainees under the Geneva Conventions.
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