American Sexual Torture and Murder of Iraqi Prisoners

[Yoshie Furuhashi <furuhashi.1@xxxxxxx>]

CBS's 60 Minutes II reports that "photographs surfaced showing
American soldiers abusing and humiliating Iraqis being held at a
prison near Baghdad": "It was American soldiers serving as military
police at Abu Ghraib who took these pictures. The investigation
started when one soldier got them from a friend, and gave them to his
commanders. 60 Minutes II has a dozen of these pictures, and there
are many more - pictures that show Americans, men and women in
military uniforms, posing with naked Iraqi prisoners" ("Abuse Of
Iraqi POWs By GIs Probed," April 29, 2004).

According to the Army, one Iraqi prisoner was told to stand on a box
with his head covered, wires attached to his hands. He was told that
if he fell off the box, he would be electrocuted.

Some pictures show Americans, men and women in military uniforms,
posing with naked Iraqi prisoners. There are shots of the prisoners
stacked in a pyramid, one with a slur written on his skin in English.
In some, the male prisoners are positioned to simulate sex with each
other.

Another shows a detainee with wires attached to his genitals. Another
shows a dog attacking an Iraqi prisoner. There is also a picture of
an Iraqi man who appears to be dead - and badly beaten. In most of
the pictures, the Americans are laughing, posing, pointing, or giving
the camera a thumbs-up.("Arab TV Shows Iraq Abuse Photos,"April 30,
2004)

60 Minutes II had the goods two weeks ago, but it caved in to "an
appeal from the Defense Department, and eventually from the Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Richard Myers, to delay this
broadcast" (April 29, 2004). It finally aired the images of sexual
torture and murder of Iraqi prisoners on Wednesday, as the photos
were "beginning to circulate elsewhere, and with other journalists
about to publish their versions of the story" (April 29, 2004). . . .

The rest of the story, with links to the shocking still images, is
posted at
<http://montages.blogspot.com/2004_04_01_montages_archive.html#108335065366363523>.
--
Yoshie

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