White House Backpedals on Releasing Torture Photos

Lawsuit tries to force CIA, FBI to come clean

(NEWSER) - The ACLU is suing the federal government for ignoring its Freedom of Information Act inquiry into the detention and torture of an American citizen overseas. Naji Hamdan, who spent 20 years in California before moving to the United Arab Emirates in 2006, was arrested in August 2008 and, according to the ACLU, subjected to brutal interrogation methods. Hamdan says he was blindfolded, beaten, strapped into an electric chair, and locked nearly naked in a refrigerated room. He also says some of his interrogators were American. More»

White House wasn't prepared for scale of torture outrage

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama's about-face on the release of photographs of abused detainees has angered civil libertarian groups, who have denounced the president for turning back on campaign promises. But as Politico writes, the move demonstrated how carefully the administration is treading on an issue that has become explosive, subsuming George Bush's legacy and threatening Nancy Pelosi's career. "It will not go away, and wishing it away won’t work," says one Clinton-era aide. More»

White House has slim hopes for appeal, may look to Congress

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama has said he wants to prevent the publication of photos depicting abuse of detainees, but legal experts say the White House has an uphill battle in reversing the court decision to release them. The administration thinks that the Bush-era lawyers did not make a sufficiently strong case in response to a Freedom of Information lawsuit and wants to appeal. But the law forbids claimants from suddenly raising new arguments, Politico writes. More»

In reversal, president says images would endanger US troops

(NEWSER) - President Obama has reversed position and will oppose the release of abuse photos of detainees in US custody, the Washington Post reports. "The publication of these photos would not add any additional benefit to our understanding of what was carried out in the past by a small number of individuals," said Obama, who insisted the similar abuse is no longer tolerated. "In fact, the most direct consequence of releasing them, I believe, would be to further inflame anti-American opinion and to put our troops in greater danger." More»

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama is leaning towards reinstituting military commissions as a way of trying Guantanamo detainees, and could begin publicly doing so as soon as next week, officials tell the New York Times. Obama has been a staunch critic of the system, but the administration is increasingly worried about the hazards of trying the detainees in federal courts. More»