The highly renowned Abu Ghraib lockup, also dubbed "Torture Central” by soldier/author Michael Keller, this global symbol of abuse and human rights violations, has been re-branded at a later time and named 'Baghdad Central Prison.'
A backward glance at year 2004...
Abu Ghraib got its infamous reputation thanks to the now iconic figure of a hooded and wired Iraqi prisoner--believed to be Satar Jabar--instructed that he would be electrocuted if he fell off the box he's standing on; but there is also the other unbearable image of a naked, prostrated Iraqi prisoner, crawling on the end of a leash held by wicked-ugly-sleazy-frustrated-bitch, Private Lynndie England, who posed in several of the horrific photos that made the name Abu Ghraib equivalent to massive cruelty, and allowed the public opinion to scan the darkest side of human nature.
According to Donald Rumsfeld, many more pictures and videotapes of the abuses, tortures, humiliations at Abu Ghraib exist.
Beginning in 2004, accounts of all possible, unimaginable, unacceptable, horrific abuses inflicted to prisoners, came to light. The shocking scandal broke along with a widespread public outrage, specially in the Arab world where many felt personally offended, insulted, and enraged.
Abu Ghraib got its infamous reputation thanks to the now iconic figure of a hooded and wired Iraqi prisoner--believed to be Satar Jabar--instructed that he would be electrocuted if he fell off the box he's standing on; but there is also the other unbearable image of a naked, prostrated Iraqi prisoner, crawling on the end of a leash held by wicked-ugly-sleazy-frustrated-bitch, Private Lynndie England, who posed in several of the horrific photos that made the name Abu Ghraib equivalent to massive cruelty, and allowed the public opinion to scan the darkest side of human nature.
Beginning in 2004, accounts of all possible, unimaginable, unacceptable, horrific abuses inflicted to prisoners, came to light. The shocking scandal broke along with a widespread public outrage, specially in the Arab world where many felt personally offended, insulted, and enraged.
The now familiar yet immeasurably wicked and disturbing pictures of barbarism and torture at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison have raised many troubling questions: How did torture become an accepted practice at Abu Ghraib? Did U.S. government policies make it possible? How much damage has the aftermath of Abu Ghraib had on America's credibility as a defender of freedom and human rights around the world?
I'm certainly not the only one who is more outraged by the outrage and treatment of human beings by The US Army. It was pretty obscene, to say the least. The blood-boiling pictures made--am pretty sure-- the majority of the planet angry. Abu Ghraib officially closed on March 9, 2006. But nobody forgot that unprecedented happening. Some people have expressed their feelings with subversive design, specially through a stinging satire of the two most familiar photos (hood & leach).
The imagery Design 961 is displaying within this post are but a few of the load of parody and critical stances made by street artists and designers determined to speak loudly about the arrogant, shameful and degrading acts committed by the Americans.
View for yourself and hope that more socially responsible designers as such inspire like-minded people to do good design, as David Berman recommends --in his book "Do Good Design: How designers can change the world" --and help repair the world.
View for yourself and hope that more socially responsible designers as such inspire like-minded people to do good design, as David Berman recommends --in his book "Do Good Design: How designers can change the world" --and help repair the world.
