U-turn on abuse photos
WASHINGTON: President Obama has reversed a decision to release photos showing abuse of "war on terror" detainees, saying he feared it would cause a backlash against US troops abroad.
The about-face on Wednesday came after the Obama administration announced last month it had agreed to release hundreds of photos from US-run prisons in Iraq and elsewhere in response to a long-running lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.
It is unclear why Obama changed his stance, but the Pentagon said US military commanders had sternly warned that the photos could be used as a recruiting tool by extremists and jeopardize the safety of US troops.
The photos were used as evidence in criminal investigations of US soldiers accused of abusing detainees during George W. Bush's administration.
Federal courts have ruled against the government in a series of decisions, but Obama had instructed administration lawyers to try a new argument that the photos could put troops in Iraq and Afghanistan at risk, the White House said.
Obama said issuing the photos would "inflame anti-American opinion and put our troops in greater danger" without shedding any new light on past abuses under the Bush administration.
AFP
(China Daily 05/15/2009 page11)
