More Abu Ghraib Images Made Public

An Australian television network aired video and photographs Wednesday of what it said were previously unpublished images of the abuse of Iraqis in U.S. military custody at Abu Ghraib prison in 2003.

The images -- some were of naked as well as of bloodied prisoners and others appeared to show corpses -- were taken about the same time as earlier photos that triggered a worldwide scandal and led to prison sentences for several lower-ranking U.S. soldiers.

Many of the pictures broadcast by Australia’s Special Broadcasting Service were more graphic than those previously published.

They were made public amid widespread Muslim protests over published caricatures of the prophet Muhammad and immediately after this week’s release of video apparently showing British troops beating youths during a 2004 protest in the southern Iraqi city of Amarah.

Some officials urged fellow Iraqis to react calmly because the prison pictures were old and offenders had been punished.

“I feel bringing up these issues is only going to add heat to an already fragile situation in Iraq, and they don’t help anybody at all,” said Labeed Abbawi, an advisor to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.

Presidential security advisor Wafiq Samarrai called the abuse unjustifiable but added that it was important to remember the actions occurred more than two years ago, offenders had been punished and rules on treatment of prisoners tightened.

Nine American soldiers -- all low-ranking reservists -- were convicted and sentenced to terms ranging from discharge from the Army to 10 years’ imprisonment.

The SBS images included photos of a bloodied cellblock and the corpse of a man the network said was killed during a CIA interrogation. One of the video clips depicted a group of naked men with bags over their heads standing together masturbating. The network said the inmates were forced to participate.

Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya TV aired some of the Australian station’s footage but refrained from using the most shocking images. CNN also broadcast excerpts.

A U.S. defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to address the matter publicly said Army officials had reviewed the photographs posted on the Sydney Morning Herald’s website and matched them to images that a U.S. soldier turned over to military authorities in 2004.

The Australian station refused to say how it obtained the images.

The network, which aired the pictures on its “Dateline” program, did not identify anyone in the images. However, several photos appeared to show former Spc. Charles A. Graner Jr., who is serving a 10-year term.