Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Iraq prison abuse photos likened to Danish Islam cartoons by Justice Dept. says NY Times

The claim is made in

Obama About-Face Goes to High Court
By ADAM LIPTAK
Published: September 15, 2009
First the Justice Department decided it would not ask the Supreme Court to block the release of photographs showing the abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then it changed its mind.

The relevant paragraph reads:

In a book about the controversy surrounding the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, the publisher [Yale Press] decided not to publish the actual cartoons. The government’s brief, in fact, cited the reaction to the publication of the cartoons in a Danish newspaper as a reason to block disclosure of the images of detainee abuse.

I'd encourage everyone to read the original article and perhaps someone could look into the government's argument as well.

Meanwhile, one of the Post's (conservative) columnists editorialized against Yale's decision - "Chipping Away At Free Speech," By Anne Applebaum, Washington Post September 15, 2009.

No comments: