It's been several years since we first saw the horrific images of prisoner abuse from within the walls of Abu Ghraib prison. Lately, the indelible images, which first came to light in 2004, seemed to be fading into history as just another sad chapter in the story of America's misadventures in Iraq.

But recent work has shown that the impact of that incident was neither isolated nor short-lived. First, we have a new film by Errol Morris, Standing Operating Procedure, that shows that there was a lot more to the story that what the photographs showed.

And this week, a new report from Physicians for Human Rights shows, for the first time, through clinical evaluation, that the prisoners who were ill-treated in Abu Ghrab continue to suffer long-term mental and physical disability. The report documents that the prisoners' accounts are supported by the medical evidence. Titled "Broken Laws, Broken Lives," the report states that "the detainees suffer permanent hearing loss, persistent and debilitating pain in limbs and joints, major depressive disorder, severe post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety disorders, such as panic attacks."

All of the detainees were released without charges or explanation.

Worse, the former detainees experience was not simply the result of a few "bad apples," but the manifestation of a top-down policy. They found similar clinical evidence among former detainees inprisoned in Afghanistan, and Guantánamo Bay.

Maj. General Antonio Taguba, led the official investigation into the Abu Gharaib abuse scandal. In a preface to PHR's new report, he writes:

This report tells the largely untold human story of what happened to detainees in our custody when the Commander-in-Chief and those under him authorized a systematic regime of torture. This story is not only written in words: It is scrawled for the rest of these individuals’ lives on their bodies and minds. Our national honor is stained by the indignity and inhumane treatment these men received from their captors.

We don't often use this blog to endorse specific policies or take sides on issues. But with the evidence this compelling, the investigators so credentialed, and the conclusions this clear, it seemed appropriate to help publicize the work.

As Maj. General Taguba concludes:

After years of disclosures by government investigations, media accounts, and reports from human rights organizations, there is no longer any doubt as to whether the current administration has committed war crimes. The only question that remains to be answered is whether those who ordered the use of torture will be held to account.

(The Washington Post and Newshour have additional coverage.)