In disputing the administration's selective application of these international standards, the ACLU noted that "the Geneva Conventions were designed to prevent the abuse of prisoners, not to derail efforts to hold the government accountable for those abuses."
Federal courts agreed with the ACLU's arguments. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals deemed the Bush administration's position legally flawed and added that releasing "the photographs is likely to further the purposes of the Geneva Conventions by deterring future abuse of prisoners."
The appeals court also shot down the Bush administration's attempt to radically expand Freedom of Information Act exemptions for withholding the photos, stating that the Bush administration had attempted to use the FOIA exemptions as "an all-purpose damper on global controversy."
Now, after Bush administration defenders pummeled Obama as soft on national security, he has agreed to lift up their tattered legal banner and carry it forward.
Last Updated on Saturday, 16 May 2009 12:18
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