White House denies report on rape photos

[masuki bance]

The White House is pushing back against a British press report claiming the latest round of detainee photos -- the ones they're not releasing -- contain images of rape.

"None of the photographs in question depict the images described in the article," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. "Again, I -- I think if you do an even moderate Google search you're not going to find many of these newspapers and truth within, say, 25 words of each other."

A report in the London Daily Telegraph claims the detainee photos President Obama recently decided not to release include multiple images of rape and abuse. The newspaper's source is a former Army Major General Antonio Taguba, who invesitgated misconduct at Abu Ghraib. Per the report:

At least one picture shows an American soldier apparently raping a female prisoner while another is said to show a male translator raping a male detainee.

Further photographs are said to depict sexual assaults on prisoners with objects including a truncheon, wire and a phosphorescent tube.

The newspaper quotes Taguba as confirming the photos exist, saying "These pictures show torture, abuse, rape and every indecency." Taguba told the paper he supported Obama's decision not to release the photos. The Pentagon today also denied the newspaper's report.

"That news organization has completely mischaracterized the images," (spokesman Bryan) Whitman told reporters. "None of the photos in question depict the images that are described in that article."


The Telegraph surmised the "graphic nature" of the photos persuaded Obama to withhold them, after initially saying he would release them. Gibbs denied the report but said he hadn't actually seen all the photos. So who is telling the truth? Short of an independent review, the release of the photos would clear it up -- but the White House won't do that.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/White-House-denies-report-on-rape-photos-46393107.html

Who's telling the truth?
:wtf:

[rcrush]

1. Prove it.

[Teaser]

17. actually, releasing the photo's won't prove anything

because it can always be argued that they released everything except the rape photos.

[leftstreet]

2. Only one way to find out who's telling the truth n/t

[asphalt.jungle]

3. i'd rule out the torygraph ever telling the truth

piece of shit wingnut newspaper.

[rpannier]

4. Maybe so

But there's only one way to know for sure

[Aloha Spirit]

10. +1

[merh]

5. So the images that are on line, from these sources, the ones

that do depict rape and sodomy, where do they come from?

Where were they taken and why do they look so much like the released photos that were authorized for release?

[masuki bance]

9. The images are already released?

Where?

[merh]

11. Salon had released some from the source reported by that article

and then RawStory posted a few.

http://www.atlargely.com/atlargely/2009/05/photos-obama-wont-release-include-images-of-rape.html

Two are part of a CBS group of photos. One is from the group that Salon got. There are more. Much more and they are worse. These were the least graphic I had the stomach to post.

[masuki bance]

12. Weren't those pics released in 2004 and 2006?

The dates are from the links themselves.

[merh]

16. yes

read the links

[Uzybone]

14. None of the pics you linked are new

and none of them are any worse than the widely available Abu Ghraib photos.

I dont think anyone has posted photos with the rape yet. If they exsist.

[merh]

15. Where did I say they were new

read the links, that will help you

[snowdays]

6. Past time to release all the photoes and let the chips fall where

they may.

[parasim]

7. Ok, this is a tad disturbing.

"None of the photographs in question depict the images described in the article," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. "Again, I -- I think if you do an even moderate Google search you're not going to find many of these newspapers and truth within, say, 25 words of each other."

That sounds to me like they're skirting the issue. I know that typically, administrations do that regularly. But, I really didn't expect that from this particular administration.

[depakid]

8. No surprise here- the dynamic was inevitable

[struggle4progress]

13. White House, Pentagon deny British newspaper's report on torture photos (Xinhua)

www.chinaview.cn 2009-05-29 05:33:51 Print

WASHINGTON, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The White House and Pentagon Thursday both denied a British newspaper's report saying that alleged photographs of abuse at Iraqi prisons include images of rape and sexual assault.

"None of the photographs in question depict the images described in the article," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said at a press briefing of a Daily Telegraph story claiming to describe graphic photographs and accounts of rapes and other abuses of prisoners at the notorious Abu Ghraib jail outside Baghdad.

Citing an ex-army officer who published a 2004 report into the abuse scandal at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison, the report said that the photos showed rape, torture and abuse ...

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-05/29/content_11451163.htm

[AzDar]

18. That's what happens when you attempt to provide cover for War Crimes... you own them.

:puke: