- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Civil Rights Group Calls for Open Access to Prisoners Abuse Pictures

© Flickr / RayTorture
Torture - Sputnik International
Subscribe
The American Civil Liberties Union said that the US government is unlawfully withholding photographs documenting the abuse of detainees in US prisons overseas.

A lawyer for a Guantanamo detainee accused of being involved in the 9/11 attacks alleged Thursday that his client is being mistreated at the facility and may have developed colon cancer as a result. - Sputnik International
Gitmo Torture Caused Colon Cancer in Detainee - Lawyer
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States government is unlawfully withholding photographs documenting the abuse of detainees in US prisons overseas, civil rights group the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said in a court letter.

“The [US] government failed to comply with the legal requirements of the PNSDA [Protected National Security Documents Act] in 2012 and, thus, the [Defense] Secretary has not lawfully certified the subject photographs for withholding,” ACLU’s letter sent on Friday said.

ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Defense (DoD) in 2003, demanding release of records that show abuse of prisoners in American custody in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Britain's security and intelligence services did not seek to cover up their complicity in US mistreatment of terrorist suspects when they asked the US Senate to redact its report on CIA torture practices, a UK regulator said in a Wednesday statement. - Sputnik International
UK Regulator Denies CIA Torture Report Redacted to Hide Britain’s Role
In 2009 the US Congress gave the Defense Secretary the authority not to release abuse pictures for three years, if their disclosure would threaten national security.

In August 2014 US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled that the Defense Secretary has to review photos on a case by case basis and give reasons for keeping each secret. He later stated that DoD should suggest ways to comply with the ruling, otherwise the Defense Secretary should officially refuse to certify photos individually, ACLU said.

On Wednesday, the government sent a letter to the court, asking to clarify what the government must do to comply with the August ruling, trying, according to ACLU, delay the process.

“Plaintiffs respectfully request that the Court reject the government’s unnecessary and, in light of the Court’s prior rulings, specious request,” ACLU’s letter said.

According to the human rights organization Amnesty International, during 2003 invasion of Iraq, US Army and Central Intelligence Agency personnel detained, tortured and ill-treated people without charging them. There are about 2,000 photos relating to the abuse of prisoners, ACLU says.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала