US President Barack Obama dropped off a plan to release abuse photos on Wednesday, saying that it would not bring "additional benefit" to the country.
"That's my decision to argue against the release of additional detainee photos," said Obama at a White House press conference.
"The publication of these photos would not add any additional benefit to our understanding of what was carried out in the past by a small number of individuals," he said.
"In fact, the most direct consequence of releasing them, I believe, would be to further inflame anti-American opinion and to put our troops in greater danger," the president added.
The Department of Defense was set to release by May 28 hundreds of photos, at request of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)citing Freedom of Information Act, showing alleged abuse of prisoners in detention facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said last month that the Obama administration had no problem with releasing the photos should the court rule so.
However, Obama argued that those photos representing conduct not accordant with the Army Manual "are associated with closed investigations of the alleged abuse of detainees in our ongoing war effort."
The publication of these photos may "only have a chilling effect on future investigations of detainee abuse," he added.
"The thing that is most important in my mind is making sure that we are abiding by the Army Manual and that we are swiftly investigating any -- any instances in which individuals have not acted appropriately and that they are appropriately sanctioned," Obama said. "That's my aim, and I do not believe that the release of these photos at this time would further that goal."
On the other hand, the president reaffirmed that the United States does not tolerate any abuse of detainees, which is "against our values" and "endangers our security."
Obama made the reversed decision on the release of abuse photos after top military commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan expressed their concerns that publicizing the pictures could put their troops in danger.
The White House's move received applause from congressional Republicans but criticism from human rights groups.
"I agree with the president that the release of these photos would serve no purpose other than to put our troops in greater danger," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. "The president made the right decision and I applaud him for it."
ACLU attorney Amrit Singh, on the other hand, blast the decision as "a mockery of President Obama's promise of transparency and accountability."
"It is essential that these photographs be released so that the public can examine for itself the full scale and scope of prisoner abuse that was conducted in its name," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency May 14, 2009)
