US soldiers trade photographs of Iraqi dead for pornography, no charges

Today it will be reported that US soldiers in Iraq have been taking photographs of dead and mutilated Iraqis bodies and body-parts and posting them on a pornography site in exchange for free access to that site. The photographs sometimes include the soldiers, with their faces clearly identifiable, themselves laughing at and mocking the dead. The gruesome photographs are often accompanied by the soldiers' own comments, which are often joyous in tone, racist, and generally disrespectful of the fact that the image portrayed was once a living, thinking human being. Examples include "DIE HAJI DIE" and "What every Iraqi should look like".

Chris Wilson, owner of the site, is quoted as saying

It's an unedited look at the war from their point of view. ... There's always going to be a slant from the news media. ... And this is a photo that comes straight from their camera to the site. To me, it's just a more real look at what's going on.

In seven day's time Army investigators will conclude that they have too little evidence to pursue criminal charges. The site owner will state to journalists that the Pentagon never contacted him about the photographs.

On 8 October 2005, the site owner will be arrested on obscenity charges. Ironically, the charges will be directed at the sexual content of the site, not any of the pictures of dead Iraqis.