Yes, the pictures may incite the insurgents, but it also has shown a true picture of the horrors of war. The pictures show a total disregard for life, inflicted by the very people who bring so-called "democracy" to the people of Iraq. I believe it is in the public interest to be able to view such atrocities and make an informed judgement. This no doubt, will only be the tip of the iceberg. Frank Smith, Dundee

I wonder, with all the anti-US sentiment posted here, whether there is equal outrage at the beheadings of innocent western victims paraded on al-Jazeera TV. The images shown of Abu Ghraib were shown in a court of law. There was no need to trot them out now, at a time of heightened sensitivity, particularly when there is a western hostage being held in Iraq with a death warrant looming. The press felt obliged to exercise restraint over the cartoons for fear of offending Muslim sensibilities. What happened to responsibility here? I'm grateful that the US is holding these dangerous detainees. Long may it continue. The US should know there are many, many people in Europe who support this. I wonder if those who comment here feel equal outrage at the Iraqi police, who have carried out barbaric acts against their own people over the last year, which have hardly even been mentioned in the press. As for disregard for the UN Security council, it's the most corrupt organisation on the planet! Perhaps if the press drew breath over persecuting the US and its allies, they might wake up to the knowledge that the WMD were in Iraq and were moved to Syria. But that would be asking too much. Meanwhile many hundreds of thousands of Iraqis remain grateful to the allies and those men who laid down their lives. Name and address withheld

From day one there have been cover-ups surrounding the reason for going to war. Then Iraq was invaded to supposedly remove Saddam. It is none of our business what is going on in another country. If the US and UK governments are so concerned about humanity, I would advise them to go and sort out places like Sudan and Africa. As for the pictures, I am jolly well glad that the Australian media has tried to enlighten people as to what is really going on Iraq. Imagine having been invaded by foreigners, then to be abused and humiliated in such a way. The West is supposedly trying to teach such countries like Iraq how to be civilised. It's quite obvious from the footage/pictures that we are far from civilised. Ayse Ergen, London

It was absolutely right to publish the pictures from Abu Ghraib as it serves as an important reminder that war is not a sanitised, humane affair that can be regulated and disinfected to comply with the wet sensibilities of western Liberals. It is a gory, messy, dirty business where men get hurt and killed and where soldiers take out their anger, frustration, rage and vengeance on their enemies. Although we may like to delude ourselves that the role of the modern soldier is nothing more than a glorified aid worker, the pictures reinforce the unpleasant and unavoidable reality of conflict. This is certainly not the first time a captive has been abused by allied troops nor will it be the last. Richard Beazley, London

We do have a right to know what is happening - however bad the details may be. The United States has shown that it is not really any better than Saddam Hussein in its treatment of prisoners. The freedom and democracy they are supposed to have brought there, if it is like that, is not wanted and furthermore, sets a bad example. Peter Waring, Rushden

The images pale into insignificance when compared with Muslim beheadings of innocent hostages and the scenes of rioting and destruction in the wake of the publication of a few bad cartoons. We are at war and one side or the other is going to lose. Fascist Islam will be eradicated. The press should publish these pictures all it wants. Derek Geldenhuys, Washington DC

These pictures were obviously published for shock value and have been successful in further enraging radical Islam. I, as an American, am extremely upset at the over-hyping of prisoner abuse and indeed the publication of these pictures. I would understand publishing them if they were somehow new or provided another perspective on the story. Not only does this endanger the Coalition fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan but it aids our terrorist enemy by providing them a propaganda tool. The world media is engaged in a "gotcha" game while America is shedding blood to establish democracies in Afghanistan and Iraq. It's sickening. I understand many in the world truly despise the United States more than say, the genocide-promoting regimes of North Korea, or the oppressive regime of China. However, to endanger the United States and the Coalition, with no regard to life or victory is truly disturbing. Anthony Tafoya, New Mexico

I disagree with Mr. Roman, my countryman from Philadelphia, that "the people who are responsible for the crimes are... in jail." Donald Rumsfeld is not in jail, nor are Dick Cheney, George Tenet, or George Bush. The culture and policies that cause and tolerate this abuse start right at the top. However, those at the top never take responsibility for their actions; they always look for a loyal subject down the food chain to take the fall. This Bush M. O. has been consistent - in the Iraq War, NSA unnecessary monitoring, Katrina, Medicare prescription drug problems, the budget deficit, and the recent "Duck" Cheney incident. Bush and his minions will "Swift-Boat" anybody who stands in the way of their ill-advised policies. Even though there are no good guys - the prisoners included - in the Abu Ghraib mess, I'm glad the pictures were published. It will remind people of the Bush administration's decadence and utter disdain for the truth. Gary Cinnamon, California

Those photos weren't invented, forged or faked. Those events really happened. The world should know. Those responsible have not yet been held to account…they just banged up a couple of monkeys who were dumb enough to get in the photos and show their faces. No officers, no intelligence agents, no politicians have yet been held accountable. And the sad fact is that some of those people in Abu Ghraib will be innocent. Not that guilt is an excuse for torture. Name and address withheld

If it makes you feel more secure and happier about this war to say that the torture isn't so bad and that it's only inflicted on guilty terrorists then fine... but burying your head in the sand doesn't make the world any safer. John Lawton, San Francisco

You have press freedom, or you don't. You have democracy or you don't. There are no half measures. Press freedom and democracy are no easy options, they come with great suffering, but also with ultimate growth, spiritual as well as material. Press freedom and democracy keep each other in balance. If the press prints horrific pictures, the democracy needs this wake-up call to explain and adjust itself. Now the press prints horrific cartoons. There is no balancing response, no adjustment or self-explanation. There is just horrific anger. However, the expression of that anger is freedom of speech, and we must have the courage to balance that, adjust and explain it in our own right. Boyd Hendricks, Surrey

As this is a war, bad things happen. People need to climb out of their fluffy cloud worlds and realise war is brutal, from both sides. These people were enemy combatants. If you feel so strongly for their well-being I ask you this, would you want them living next door to you? I bet most of the US forces in Iraq think if that is the worst that happens to them if they're captured by insurgents, they'd be getting off pretty lightly. If you oppose your government's actions, vote against it, but when it comes to elections, people are selfish and look at how much better of they will be as an individual not what is being done with their tax thousands of miles away. At the last general election, all the revelations about the war were out but people still voted Blair back in. Name and address withheld

I can't help but sense there is currently a huge hypocrisy in the world's media. What I would like to know is what would the media bosses do themselves if they were in charge in those prisons. Yes, there may be completely innocent Iraqis in there but there are also, more likely than not, hardcore, ready-to-blow-themselves-up evil men in the prison. We don't live in that environment. We have no right to judge. If the world's media is sincere in exposing torture, then where's the exposure of torture in countries like Iran, North Korea, China and Zimbabwe? Ming Ye, Dublin

I am wondering what the purpose of publishing the photos was. These pictures, as with the video of events involving the soldiers beating rioters, were taken over two years ago. The cartoons depicting Mohammed were originally published last September, when no one took offence. My conclusion would be that some aspects of the anti-Gulf War/Iraq Invasion media are deliberately trying to stir up friction between the Allied Forces in Iraq and the Iraqis, and also trying to promote disharmony between the Muslim and non-Muslim populations around the world, which would appear to have been particularly successful. David Leslie, Crieff