Obama, Pentagon Keeps Torture Secret

President Barak Obama signed a bill authorizing the continued concealment of photos depicting the torture of detainees under the U.S. military.

 WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Barak Obama signed a bill authorizing the continued concealment of photos depicting the torture of detainees under the U.S. military.

The move was seen as a continuation of the secrecy that made the Bush administration infamous.

It was also seen as a flip-flop by Obama who had promised to release the photos during his 2008 campaign for president.

The authorization was a part of the Homeland Security appropriations bill.

To release the photos taken between Sept. 11, 2001 and Jan.22, 2009, the Secretary of Defense must approve first, according to the bill.

However, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and others at the Pentagon lobbied for the photos to be kept secret for fear that they would endanger U.S. servicemen in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Two federal courts, though, have already rejected their argument.

The Supreme Court is to hear the government’s appeal soon.