pictures of torture
I have a problem with the fact that no one in the media seems to be talking about the effect of releasing pictures of on the tortured. I really wonder what is wrong with the world when we try to seek out Justice for victims, which is what I assume the ACLU wants, since they are trying to ensure that everyone knows how widespread torture was, and in doing so, insist on the release of photos of them in their most vulnerable place. We re-traumatize the survivors of torture, and their families, when we release these photos for general consumption. I was just as horrified as the next person when the photos of the Abu Ghraib photos came out; however, I feel that I was just as bothered by what the media did to these people, in showing the world pictures of nude prisoners. No one seems to be asking if the prisoner's want this. No one seems to be asking if the prisoner's are giving permission for photos of them being tortured to be released to the whole world. Without those consents, how can we freely distribute these photos? How can we not think that we are forcing every victim of torture to relive that trauma by this? In general, the media acts like it has rights to photograph anything and publish these pictures widely. I do not believe this. I believe that victims of crimes have the right to remain anonymous. fuzzing just someone's head and genital area does not turn the phot anonymous. For those that know that body well, for mothers, fathers, spouses, maybe even siblings, they will recognize their kin. For those who we have already victimized, we threaten to do it again, and expect no consequences. If someone one had kidnapped me, stripped me, and tortured me, then threatened to publish photos of that happening, so that I could never escape the trauma, I would seriously consider going after that person and destroying those photos. If the person who had done this was a government, if the people considering disseminating the photos were a government, I would go after whichever citizenry I could find, whether they be innocent or guilty.
I cannot support the release of these photos to the public at large. I think that any person that views these photos for entertainment (that is what it is) is just as guilty of standing in that room, or maybe more so, because they were not doing it because ordered to. Get justice without causing further injustice. If you care so much about the torture these people suffered, go and ensure they are receiving support in returning to their former lives, don't retraumatize them in their name.
I also must say that I would feel differently if action wasn't already being taken to say, yeah there was torture, and it was awful. It never should have happened, and let us make it harder for it to happen again. Things are changing. Punishing someone socially isolated for following the orders of their superiors is not going to help. Re-educating those on the lower rungs, and ensuring that they get the treatment they need to come to terms with what they did without accepting the normalcy of their actions, that is important. Putting them in jail...not helpful. And bloody expensive.
I cannot support the release of these photos to the public at large. I think that any person that views these photos for entertainment (that is what it is) is just as guilty of standing in that room, or maybe more so, because they were not doing it because ordered to. Get justice without causing further injustice. If you care so much about the torture these people suffered, go and ensure they are receiving support in returning to their former lives, don't retraumatize them in their name.
I also must say that I would feel differently if action wasn't already being taken to say, yeah there was torture, and it was awful. It never should have happened, and let us make it harder for it to happen again. Things are changing. Punishing someone socially isolated for following the orders of their superiors is not going to help. Re-educating those on the lower rungs, and ensuring that they get the treatment they need to come to terms with what they did without accepting the normalcy of their actions, that is important. Putting them in jail...not helpful. And bloody expensive.