New York ? A judge said Tuesday he was hesitant to release pictures and videotapes of detainee abuse at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison while top government officials insisted that deaths could result.

U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein commented as he listened to Manhattan’s top government lawyer and an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, which was seeking release of the pictures.

The judge questioned whether he could disregard arguments by Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who has warned that releasing the photos would aid al-Qaida recruitment, weaken the Afghan and Iraqi governments and incite riots against U.S. troops.

“How can I ignore the expert opinion of General Myers, who is concerned with the safety of his troops?” the judge asked. “I can’t substitute my opinion for the opinion of General Myers.”

He said troops in Iraq “face danger every day and don’t deserve to have that danger enlarged.”

The ACLU has sought the release of 87 photographs and four videotapes taken at the prison. The request was part of a 2003 lawsuit demanding information on the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody and the transfer of prisoners to countries known to use torture. The ACLU contends prisoner abuse is systemic.