WP: Dates on Prison Photos Show Two Phases of Abuse

[kskiska]

Tuesday, June 1, 2004; Page A01

On May 1, a U.S. Army investigator took the stand in a criminal proceeding in Baghdad against one of the seven military police soldiers charged in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. There was, he said, "absolutely no evidence" that military intelligence officers or the military police chain of command had authorized the abuse to aid interrogations.

"These individuals were acting on their own," said Army special agent Tyler Pieron, who investigated the case for the Criminal Investigation Division. "The photos I saw, and the totality of our interviews, show that certain individuals were just having fun at the expense of the prisoners. Taking pictures of sexual positions, the assaults and things along that nature were done simply because they could. It all happened after hours. The fear instilled in the prisoners after these incidents may have been a benefit, but I don't know for sure."

A month later, that assessment has hardened into the accepted position on the abuse scandal for the Bush administration and the Pentagon. Yet an analysis of the dates of the photographs that form the heart of the case against the MPs provides a more nuanced picture.

Some of the photographs support the theory that MPs sought to humiliate prisoners for entertainment. The infamous shots show a naked human pyramid, a hooded man standing on a box and detainees forced to masturbate -- acts that apparently were staged to punish prisoners or amuse guards, not specifically to coerce confessions for military intelligence (MI).

But questions remain about the shots of snarling dogs intimidating detainees. The photos were taken weeks after the most publicized MP abuse occurred, according to date stamps accompanying photographs obtained by The Washington Post. The date stamps, which are in a database obtained by The Post that was apparently compiled by military investigators, show that the widely published photograph of a naked man confronted by unmuzzled German shepherds was taken on Dec. 12 -- a month after the human pyramid and during a period when military intelligence officers were in formal control of the prison.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4810-2004May31.html

[Eye and Monkey]

1. "It all happened after hours." Hmm, "after hours" at a prison?

[renegade000]

3. lol

"alright its 5PM...everyone home, i expect all prisoners back at 9AM sharp tommorrow morning!"

[gratuitous]

2. Tyler Pieron needs to face a dog naked

"There may have been some benefit" from the torture, but Tyler Pieron doesn't "know for sure" if that's the case. The epitaph of a whitewasher. Sounds like he really did a thorough investigation.

But back to the subject at hand: My tax dollars paid for all those photos -- I want to see them, and I want to see them now! I don't trust my elected representatives to handle this information properly, and given half a chance will cover their pasty white asses, will do so, and we'll never know what happened.

[Disturbed]

5. Cover Up continues.

Have the Military investigate itself is like having the Mfia investigate itself.

War Crimes were commited. BushCo should be charged with War Crimes.


What is a war crime?
By Tarik Kafala
BBC News Online


Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention defines war crimes as: "Willful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, including... willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, unlawful deportation or transfer or unlawful confinement of a protected person, compelling a protected person to serve in the forces of a hostile power, or willfully depriving a protected person of the rights of fair and regular trial, ...taking of hostages and extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly."


This, international lawyers say, is the basic definition of war crimes.

The statutes of The Hague tribunal say the court has the right to try suspects alleged to have violated the laws or customs of war in the former Yugoslavia since 1992. Examples of such violations are given in article 3:

* Wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity
* Attack, or bombardment, by whatever means, of undefended towns, villages, dwellings, or buildings
* Seizure of, destruction or willful damage done to institutions dedicated to religion, charity and education, the arts and sciences, historic monuments and works of art and science
* Plunder of public or private property.

The tribunal defines crime against humanity as crimes committed in armed conflict but directed against a civilian population. Again a list of examples is given in article 5:

* Murder
* Extermination
* Enslavement
* Deportation
* Imprisonment
* Torture
* Rape
* Persecutions on political, racial and religious grounds.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1420133.stm

[countmyvote4real]

11. I'm sure they'll eventually be published at some us.gov site.

You'll probably have to have some adult check or porn password to access them. We have to pay for this fiasco in the long run and somehow that Iraqi oil isn't quite doing it.

Never mind. I forgot about the non-consensual disclaimers required to post that kind of material.

[saigon68]

4. special agent Tyler Pieron is not real bright

He's going to be in the middle of this mess---sooner or later others will start talking and he will go to jail for helping cover up this thing. He was also doing what he was ordered to do---cover it up.

[diamond14]

6. the corpse mutilation photos are ghastly (PHOTO...caution graphic)

it's no wonder bush* is trying to hide these....IMO, the easier acceptable photos are already revealed...and NOW, the REALLY ghastly photos are coming out of hiding...the way idiot bush* has set this up, we'll have a constant drip drip drip right up to the election...




Iraqi In U.S. Custody Tortured To Death

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6188.htm

[PaDUer]

7. I can't access the site...

are there more pix on that site? Is the url correct?

[elf]

8. Hold on

is this new picture (the woman with the saw) real????



The other one was out already!

When are the others coming out, I'm waiting!!

I want the full outcry! Seems nothing else works.

Pictures cannot be hidden, they show the whole truth.

[elf]

9. Kick

does anybody know the answer???????????, or can predict????

[robpopulace]

13. Woman with the saw

The picture of the woman with the saw is real but is not in any way related to Iraq or our military.

Warning Graphic
For your consideration:

A biker bimbette decided that she'd rather be rid of her husband, so she coaxed her boyfriend to stop by for an impromptu soiree. As she beguiled her hubby by fellating him while he relaxed on the couch, her boyfriend stealthily wandered behind him and stabbed him in the neck. To celebrate her husband's untimely and expeditious demise, the couple proceded to "get naked", dismember the body, and capture the festivities with their trusty 110 pocket camera.

However, there now was the minor issue of developing the photos. The couple went to a local discount department store where a "friend" worked; he was more than happy to process the film for them. Unfortunately, the individual who packed the prints into the envelope wasn't one of their buddies; this person saw what the photos portrayed, and immediately called the authorities.

Needless to say, the photographs made for a charming display as State's evidence at the couple's trial, and the rest of the tale is a matter of public record. Now they're serving 30-year to life sentences in some hell-hole, though in the infinite wisdom of American justice, they will be up for parole in 2014.

Welcome to the shallow end of the gene pool...

[elf]

10. edited

sorry for double post

[Snazzy]

12. kick

seems like all the significant news is being buried here tonight.

This story is huge.