Dutch reporter says he witnessed US officials talking about Abu Ghraib rape pictures in 2004

[sabra]

http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/6321373/Abu-Ghraib-rape-pictures-known-in-2004

Abu Ghraib rape pictures known in 2004

United States military officials knew of torture pictures taken in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison as early as May 2004, says RNW reporter Hans-Jaap Melissen. In his Baghdad blog he writes that he witnessed US officials in the Iraqi capital discussing pictures that showed US soldiers raping Iraqi prisoners.

On Thursday, a retired US general who led an investigation into a probe into the Abu Ghraib abuses confirmed the existence of such pictures. Earlier this month President Barack Obama banned publishing the pictures for fear they would fan violence against US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

translation of blog post:

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.rnw.nl%2Fhansjaapmelissendewereldover%2F&sl=nl&tl=en&history_state0=

Sex in Iraq
May 28th, 2009 by Hans Jaap Melissen

I am in Kabul. But after revelations about new photos of torture in Iraqi prison Abu Ghraib, I think back to a particular moment, five years ago.


It was a warm evening in Baghdad, in May 2004. A few officers of the U.S. military in Iraq, sat on the balcony of one of Saddam's palaces thick cigar smoke. I was as a journalist who was waiting for embed-place in a corner of the balcony. The officers seemed to forget that I was. The earth was dark and I listened to their conversations

Dealing with Abu Ghraib. The scandal was just a few weeks in the news and there were still new pictures out.

"It is really terrible. There are still many more photos and a lot worse. There are even pictures that show how American soldiers have sex with prisoners, photographs showing American soldiers themselves, and also photographs showing prisoners themselves are. "

I tried to be as quiet as possible to remain seated.

The conversation continued on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. I understand that the following day, in the deepest secret countries to themselves to visit Abu Ghraib. Suddenly one of the officers turned around and cried in my direction: "Hans, are you still here?"

The startled officer took me to a separate room. "You understand that you can not have already reported that Rumsfeld here tomorrow lands. Because then the whole day in the airport fire and he is not even more. "

Not a word about the photos. So I brought the topic itself. "Have you bad photos that have seen" I asked. "No, but I know that such photographs. They are keeping away, otherwise the damage is incalculable. "The U.S. intelligence had all the photos in possession, I understood too.

For a journalist it was a difficult dilemma: I had not seen pictures and my sources are not. They only have access to the right people who could know about the scandal. But it could also be significant to them.

On the radio, I did mention the fact that it is probable that much worse pictures were. And that sex would be to see, in all possible combinations. Americans with each other, with prisoners and prisoners also with each other.

The next day I went back to Abu Ghraib. As I asked Donald Rumsfeld, he never thought to resign because the scandal. He ignored the question and said something friendly about the Dutch troops in Iraq, while his guard I tried to pull away. Fast he disappeared into a waiting car.

A question about worse photos I could not say.

For years that questions are asked, even by American journalists. Never had concrete answers. So now a former General, the investigation led to Abu Ghraib, he admits that all those photos with your own eyes have seen. Including a photo of a U.S. soldier who raped an Iraqi woman. Pictures of sex between soldiers themselves and (forced) sex of prisoners are describing the former general is not. But I trust retroactively the officers then complete.

Problem is, even after five years, these photos still remain secret for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to protect. This is now Obama. It is a decision that Donald Rumsfeld will undoubtedly satisfied.

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[Hubert Flottz]

2. K&R

The whole truth will come out.

[peacetalksforall]

3. Wow!!! It (Obama not releasing photos) is a decision that will satisfy Donald Rumsfeld.

President Obama, I plead with you. Who needs photos? IT'S NOT ABOUT RELEASING PHOTOS. The LIVES ARE ALREADY LOST if we keep torturing, keep maintianing the prisons, keep up rendition flights, and KEEP ALLOWING GREEDY CEO'S AND STOCKHOLDERS PLUS CONTRACTER EMPLOYEES AND THEIR OWNERS TO MAKE MONEY - and as long as - WE DON"T PROSECUTE OUR OWN CITIZENS - NOT THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE SEX - PROSECUTE THOSE WHO ORDERED IT, ARRANGED FOR IT, NODDED THEIR DESPICABLE HEADS IN AN APPROVAL GESTURE AND THEN TURNED AROUND AND SIGNED THE INVOICES.

GO AFTER THEM, PRESIDENT OBAMA - MANKIND DESERVES IT - MANKIND IS IN YOUR HANDS and THE FULFILLMENT OF ALL THINGS HOLY. President Obama - are you a supporter of the Beatitudes?

Let's show the world that you are a better religious person, a better patriot than the rest of them.

PLEASE, PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT OUR RUNAWAY MILITARY and their friends who have perpetrated all of this. What arrogance. What non-religious, not patriotic imbeciles.

Do not commit to your own arrogance by fluffing them off. By dismissing this.

WE CANNOT CONTINUE AS WE ARE. PHOTOS ARE IRRELEVANT FOR NOW - GO FOR PROSECUTION.

Note: I have written many times about my obsession over the arrogance of these people. Not just the military, the protective media, our cowardly congresspeople. All these arrogant people expected to stay in power forever. No one with a brain would be this arrogant about their actions if they didn't think that the political setting for it was stabalized and permanent.

President Obama, you will be the final stabalizing factor in this if you do not provide justice.

Note 2: You know who else satisfied Donald Rumsfeld - the laugh and chuckle media and press corp. Heads thrown back. Isn't he so cute and clever.

[renrivers]

4. What Would the Torture Photos Reveal?

Foe what ever reasons there seems to be much discussion about the torture photos, and a strong push by those who were involved in the decision to use torture on prisoners. I have read in other articles that the use of torture was being developed, and fine tuned in Gitmo, and then the things that were learned in Gitmo were taught to others, who then took the information that they learned, and used it in other prisons, such as Abu Gharib, and other prisoner centers around the world, many of which still remain secret to this day.

I have been told that Abu Ghraib was only the tip of the iceberg so to speak, and that more heinous treatment was administered at other prisons. It is disturbing to say the least that such inhuman treatment was allowed to be carried out and encouraged by leaders within the Bush administration, but it is even more disturbing that the present administration is stonewalling on the release of the photos. While I do believe that nothing good can come from the release of the pictures, their release might shine some light on just who and how far up the chain of command the involvement really what. Is it possible that high ranking officers, and even possibly members of the administration were to some extent involved in the tortures. Is it possible that there are even pictures of their involvement? Could there be pictures showing such high administration officials as Cheney, and Rumsfield in attendance during such interrogations?

There is little doubt that these photos could be very damaging to whoever is in the photos, especially if any of those who were involved were to be charged with war crimes. Still, I believe that until this issue is dealt with openly, and until justice is served, it will be a lasting and damaging blemish on the the United States, and the way that others around the world view America.