If the immediate release of the photos will pose a risk to the troops (which will probably ignite passions against the US further), then the release should be deferred to a later date.
While transparency is important, it shouldn't be at the possible/probable cost of the lives/health of servicemen/women.

Words do not need pictures to illustrate the monstrosity of torture, nor do we now need to look at everyone held at Gitmo or elsewhere as innocent. It's not the pictures of torture that Obama needs to release, it's the evidence held against those held in order to justify the validity of their arrest, and imprisonment.

Obama was the man who wanted to be open about everything. No secrets anymore, no more hidden crimes and things like that.. He wasn't even responsible for those crimes. What is his problem? Most of the times a human being his integrity doesn't get any better if he is listening too much to his lawyer!

AS IF THE ILLEGAL INVASION OF IRAQ UNDER FALSE PRETENSES WAS NOT HORRIFIC ENOUGH, TORTURE OF INNOCENT AND GUILTY DETAINEES ONLY MADE THE ENTIRE SITUATION WORSE.
IF BARACK OBAMA GOES BACK ON HIS WORD AS A PRESIDENT OF TRANSPARENCY AND CHANGE, IT WILL ONLY SERVE TO DIMINISH HIS STANDING ON THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL STAGE, AND MAKE HIM NO DIFFERENT FROM EVERY OTHER POLITICIAN WHO SAYS ONE THING TO GET ELECTED, THEN DOES WHAT HE CHOOSES ONCE IN OFFICE...

For sureee ! We can't let them do whatever they want so we got to see the pics !!!

We all know that something bad happened. We know that it has been fixed now. Releasing the photos now will unnecessarily put our troops in more danger. I don't mind waiting a few more years.

No it is not necessary. The admission of the abuses is enough. The government have to correct it.

Hello Hala,
No doubt further release of detainee abuse photos will tarnish America's image the world over. But more importantly, it will confirm NOT only Obama's TRANSPARENCY but that of the United States Of America as a whole, once more democracy at work.

We don't need to have the same issue the past generation had with Vietnam. Anger ran through young people when they realized they had been lied to.

Truth is needed and even though the government has admitted to the abuse, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Maybe what we need to make D.C. see the damage is more protests like the ones during the Vietnam War.

What’s really amazing is that Bush’s and Cheney’s lies have cost 4294 U.S. soldiers lives in Iraq (www.icasualties.org) during “Operation Iraqi Freedom” (?!?) and nobody seemed to care then. To me it seems disproportionate to not release these pictures; once more the U.S. is losing credibility. I am wondering what is more disturbing, actually seeing probably graphic pictures or imagining what had happened during these harsh interrogations?

Absolutely not! Not only have these endangered the troops, but also ordinary civilian, domestic Americans working in fields unrelated to foreign wars. In 2004, the media here published pictures on illegal sex abuse/torture of war detainees by US contractors. A day later in a Mid-Western suburb, immigrant high-tech employees with cash-rich connections from the affected areas circulated these pictures by e-mail over the Intranet of a very large corporation. Subsequently, they used their business connections to subject me to covert money extortion by physical torture and justified this as retaliation for my earlier 2002 corporate mandatory technology assignments in Homeland Security related projects. President Obama is correctly weighing the pros and cons of such publications.

It will be too dangerous for the US to post photos now. It will make people angry and terrorism will be worst. Not posting photos does not mean that we justify the wrong doings of the military as a matter of fact they must be punished. And be removed from service for the simple reason they destroyed the dignity and honor of being what america stands for.... fighter for democracy and human right.. those military men are no different from the terrorist they jailed.

This is double standard...
Obama doesn't want to show the world about the barbaric acts of US army...

Yet he and Clinton want government of Sri Lanka to allow international media inside the 2.5sqkm area occupied by LTTE terrorists (with a human shield)....

The same time President Obama stated that releasing these photos would cause danger to US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, wanted the Sri Lankan govt fighting the most brutal LTTE terrorists, using their own Tamil civilians as human shields, to allow international/independent journalists to freely go into the conflict zone!! WHAT HYPOCRISY??

Change You Need ! Justice We Need !! Release the photos.

Knowing there are some ugly photos to release,it is counter productive to hide. It will raise speculation and imagination. It all depends how US is planning to direct is foreign policy. If US wants to take leadership role through leading the world through as a role model for human rights – this is the way forward.

Should The Alleged Detainee Abuse Photos Be Released To The Public? NO! NEVER!

Civil Liberties Advocates (CLAs)…..??? To me these people are not from this world. They have no idea who they are. They (CLAs) forget that we live in a world, composed of all types of people. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, all live side by side yet have plenty of space for each other.

To me Civil Liberties Advocates (CLA) are people who walk around with a chip on the shoulder, telling the world they are the only ones who are pure, they are the only ones who understand everything and everyone. I would ask these people (CLAs) to look at themselves not just in a mirror but inside themselves and try to recognise the skeletons they are hiding. Why is it? That they pretend to be blameless and Lilly white?

Fighting a war ten thousand kilometers away from home, these soldiers are in completely different frame of mind to that of the ‘couch potatoes of CLAs who would jump out to action faster than God can tell them. These soldiers are not zombies. They have undertaken a sacrifice for their country.

How would the CLAs feel if those prisoner/s had been responsible for throwing a grenade at a truck carrying a load of CLAs and out of whom 12 had died?

President OBAMA must take an Executive stand and no to allowing the photos to be released for ever.

Why not release the photos to Amnesty International or HRW or to EU for Human Rights action

The war is over but the Tamil diapora (Tiger army desrters and refugees who live in foreign countries) do not beleive it. Even at this last minute they are trying to mislead the ignorant tamil community. 60 to 70% of the Tamil population and the Muslims who live in the South of Sri Lanka rejoice that the war is over. They say that they can live in peace. Those Tamils who live in foreign countries should realise that there is no pint in fighting anymore for 'Tamil Homeland' in Sri Lanka. If you that strong minded, it is better for you to go back to Tamil Nadu fight for a sizable prtion for a 'Tamil Homeland'. Do not try to rob our country.