Ah, America, defender of liberty and justice! Sounds nice, does it not? But is it actually true? Those who have suffered torture at the hands of Americans may argue otherwise.
An article by Justin Worland, of Time magazine, tells of almost 200 photos released by the Pentagon depicting abuse of detainees held by the U.S. Their release comes as a result of the legal battle between the national government and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). However, there are still some 1800 photos that the government is fighting to keep under wraps. A federal judge ordered these pictures to be released last March, and yet the government is stalling with appeals. Why? They claim the release of the photos would put American soldier's lives at risk. The ACLU is continuing to push for the release to uncover long-reaching abuse of detainees in both Afghanistan and Iran.
I think this article is worthy of reading for a few reasons. First, Americans should know how detainees held by our country are being treated. Now, there is no mention of what these detainees did to be put into holding, but is this how it should be handled? With abuse and torment? I feel this is an unacceptable approach to gaining intelligence or whatever it was the U.S. was after. Second, why only release photos that show minor injuries? Do the other photos show similar injuries or some that are worse? The government acknowledges that punishments, some severe, have been allocated to those responsible, so why hide what they did? I certainly would not want the publication of the photos to cause harm to any Americans, and yet, I feel this issue needs to be addressed and brought to the attention of the American public. Lastly, there is a federal order to release the pictures and the government only feigns compliance by releasing what they choose. I ask you, is this just?
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