• Rentlar@lemmy.ca
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    1 day ago

    There were likely a few preplanned and staged pictures the Senator was allowed to take of Abrego Garcia at all. The Senator wanted to prove that he was alive.

    • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Ugh, the fact that people are referring to these pre-planned and staged pictures as proof of anything shows the damage this did.

      These pictures don’t prove anything, Garcia could be dead in those pictures and they could have taken him to a goddamn taxidermist and posed him. The fact that a US lawmaker who seems to not be a fascist moron says he met with Garcia and Garcia is alive is proof, but those photos are pure bullshit that don’t tell us anything and should not have been shared.

      • Rentlar@lemmy.ca
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        1 day ago

        Every single photo and video from CECOT is staged. We already get a sense of what it is like in the actual prison from stories, photos, even the staged videos. It’s a concentration camp, and maybe even a death camp, it’s no hotel and these photos aren’t fooling people on that.

        The fact… says he met with Garcia and Garcia is alive is proof

        Doubters would be asking for real proof left, right, and center rather than second-hand.

        These pictures don’t prove anything, Garcia could be dead in those pictures and they could have taken him to a goddamn taxidermist and posed him.

        I don’t know what you would want from the Senator. If he was talking to a stuffed corpse, once he leaves El Salvador, there’s nothing stopping Sen. Van Hollen to say so or at least tell his wife in confidence.

        • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          Every single photo and video from CECOT is staged

          So if Van Hollen couldn’t have taken any photos or videos without the prison guards’ interference that’s all the more reason not to make and share sanctioned propaganda for them like these photos were.

          Doubters would be asking for real proof

          Again, for reasons already discussed these pictures are not proof of anything and if anything only serve to make Van Hollen’s statements seem less credible and make any doubters seem more reasonable. I think I still believe him, but the gullibility displayed here by sharing this misinformation is incredible.

          If he was talking to a stuffed corpse, once he leaves El Salvador, there’s nothing stopping Sen. Van Hollen to say so

          I guess I’m less cynical than you are, I’m willing to assume Van Hollen’s statements from El Salvador weren’t pure bullshit and provide proof that these photos don’t, but if people are arguing that his statement was coerced somehow then we really didn’t get anything at all from this trip other than a propaganda win for the fascists who are going to use these pictures to argue that CECOT isn’t that bad.

          I don’t know what you would want from the Senator

          I want him to not be duped into sharing fascists’ propaganda. Going to El Salvador and meeting with Garcia and sharing a statement about that meeting and what he observed during it was good (actually, in spite of the harm he did by sharing those misleading photos I’m still grateful to the Senator just for giving Garcia a friendly face to talk to), but sharing staged photographs and not realizing that those pictures are going to be used by fascists to dispute his statements and drown out all the long boring detailed reports from human rights NGOs about conditions at this prison that the average American never reads was bad.

          I think his heart was in the right place here, he just did a boneheaded thing accidentally at a time when we really need everyone to be on their A game.

          e; One other thing I want from the next person who’s able to secure a visit with Garcia - bring his lawyer and spouse with you so they can meet with him as well

          • Rentlar@lemmy.ca
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            17 hours ago

            While I’m not sure how you came to all the conclusions you did, your advice for the next person who might try to get in contact with the next person at CECOT is sound.