ACLU attacks feds for blocking photos

NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union accused the government Friday of putting a legal roadblock in the way of its bid to allow the public see photographs and videos stemming from the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal.

The ACLU said sealed documents the government filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan will be used to argue that dozens of photographs cannot be released because they would result in a safety threat to individuals.

Government lawyer Sean H. Lane has argued that releasing pictures, even in redacted form, would violate Geneva Conventions rules on prisoner treatment by subjecting detainees to additional humiliation or embarrassment.