Hiding the truth about Guantanamo force-feeding videos.

From the Intercept: US Appeals Court won't block the release of Guantanamo force feeding videos of Abu Wa’el Dhiab. 

This decision gets us a step closer to seeing more clearly the kinds of abuse Guantanamo detainees are subject to. We have seen pictures of abuse - both physical and psychological - committed against detainees in the past. The US Senate recently published a report stating that the US government engaged in torture and a lot of them happened in Guantanamo. Just these two things would be enough to justify calls to permanently close down Guantanamo but the Obama administration continues to refuse to set a solid deadline for its closure. 

If these videos are released it will renew calls for the closure of Guantanamo with more vigor and outrage. The Obama administration will certainly fight the release because they do not want to be put in a corner about Guantanamo. They cannot risk the public having a renewed outrage over Guantanamo as it will only make their current position greatly untenable. The Obama administration argues that releasing the videos will inflame Muslims all over the world and threaten US national security. 

The government has argued that releasing the videos would harm national security by, among other things, inflaming “Muslim sensitivities overseas.

This is an overused excuse from the government. When pictures of abuse in Guantanamo were released did we see a spike in terrorist attacks against the US and its personnel abroad? When the US Senate released its Torture report, did Muslims around the world go out shooting Americans? The reality is the Obama administration is not afraid of how Muslims around the world will react but on how the American public will. The government's bull-headed refusal to be transparent is purely political and serves only to keep the public blind from the truth while the Presidential campaign is gearing up. 

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