Abu Ghraib prison photos |
April 28, 2004: In
November and December of 2003, photos of naked Iraqi prisoners being humiliated
were taken in Abu Ghraib prison. In January 2004, Spc.Joseph M. Darby
discovered these photos on a CD and reported them to his superiors, prompting
an investigation.[1]
Abu Ghraib prison was a U.S. Army detention center for captured Iraqis from
2003 to 2006. The prison was only 20 miles from Baghdad and held as many as
3,800 prisoners during the scandal.[2] Eleven U.S. soldiers were
convicted of crimes related to the scandal. Many of them were not charged but
they were disciplined. The photos were of U.S. soldiers threatening, hurting,
and torturing prisoners. The prisoners were threatened with dogs, tortured with
electrical wires, and left bleeding on the floors. This event brought up a
controversy about torturing prisoners. This incident was claimed to be isolated
and the fault of a few bad soldiers.[3] "It's a smallnumber of soldiers who abused a small number of prisoners," said Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmit. Afterwards, some newspaper got ahold of several Bush administration memos justifying and legalizing torture. The torturing of prisoners was completely supported by the U.S. Government. This was an underlying operation of torture overseas in places such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay.
[1] "Iraq Prison Abuse Scandal Fast Facts." CNN. Cable News Network, 07 Nov. 2014. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
[2] "Iraq Prison Abuse Scandal Fast Facts." CNN. Cable News Network, 07 Nov. 2014. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
[3] Greenberg, Karen. "Abu Ghraib: A Torture Story Without a Hero or an Ending." The Nation. N.p., 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
[1] "Iraq Prison Abuse Scandal Fast Facts." CNN. Cable News Network, 07 Nov. 2014. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
[2] "Iraq Prison Abuse Scandal Fast Facts." CNN. Cable News Network, 07 Nov. 2014. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
[3] Greenberg, Karen. "Abu Ghraib: A Torture Story Without a Hero or an Ending." The Nation. N.p., 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.