Abu Ghraib, Five Years On: Accountability for Torture?

On April 28, 2004, the first photographs depicting torture of detainees by U.S. military personnel in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison emerged, sparking international outrage.
In today's featured video - a clip from Errol Morris' documentary Standard Operating Procedure - Sabrina Harman, a former U.S. Army Specialist, takes us behind the scenes of one of those photographs: the now iconic image of a hooded man, standing on a box, with electrical wires tied to his hands.
Five years have passed and the new administration in the U.S. has ordered the release of previously classified information about how those practices were allowed to take place. Two weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Justice released four memos detailing the Bush administration's legal justification for the use of torture methods like waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and stress positions.
Now, groups both within the U.S. and beyond are calling for justice and accountability, whether through an independent inquiry or a special prosecutor for torture. Take action now by signing these petitions: Avaaz, ACLU, Human Rights First, and MoveOn.org.

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