The Empire 793

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2011/mar/04/bradley-m
anning-us-wikileaks-hypocrisy


Bradley Manning and the stench of US hypocrisy

The US condemns human rights abuses abroad yet appears to be allowing
the psychological torture of Bradley Manning


          o Ryan Gallagher
          o guardian.co.uk, Friday 4 March 2011 17.48 GMT

Earlier this week, the soldier accused of leaking thousands of
confidential documents to WikiLeaks, Bradley Manning, was handed an
additional 22 charges as part of his ongoing court martial process.
The 23-year-old, who has been in solitary confinement for more than
seven months, stands accused of computer fraud, theft of public
records and willfully communicating classified information to a
person not entitled to receive it. He now also finds himself faced
with a rare charge known as "aiding the enemy" - a capital offence
for which he could face the death penalty.

The revelation will no doubt have come as a blow to Manning, although
given his ongoing treatment it is likely he already feared the worst.
Made to endure strict conditions under a prevention of injury order
against the advice of military psychiatrists, he is treated like no
other prisoner at the 250-capacity Quantico Brig detention facility
in Virginia. Despite that he is yet to be convicted of any crime, for
the past 218 consecutive days he has been made to live in a cell 6ft
wide and 12ft long, without contact with any other detainees. He is
not allowed to exercise or have personal effects in his cell, and for
the one hour each day he is allowed free from his windowless cell he
is taken to an empty room where he is allowed to walk, but not run.

One of the few people to have visited Manning, David House, spoke
yesterday of how he had witnessed his friend go from a "bright-eyed
intelligent young man" to someone who at times has appeared
"catatonic" with "very high difficulty carrying on day to day
conversation". House drew similarities with the case of Bobby
Dellelo, an American prisoner who developed psychosis after a lengthy
period in solitary confinement conditions similar to Manning's. "For
me this has been like watching a really good friend succumb to an
illness or something," he said. "I think that Bradley Manning is
being punished this way because the US government wants him to crack
ahead of his trial."

While there has been widespread and well publicised condemnation of
issues surrounding Manning's detainment, his conditions have failed
to improve. In fact, things may have got worse, not better, for the
Oklahoma-born soldier who is incidentally entitled to UK citizenship
through his Welsh mother. Just two days ago, for instance, only 24
hours after having been told he now faces a capital charge, Manning
was made to strip naked in his cell for no apparent reason. According
to David Coombs, Manning's lawyer, the soldier was then left without
clothes for seven hours. When the wake-up call sounded for the
detainees at 5am, in an act of forced humiliation, Manning was made
to stand naked at the front of his cell.

The incident, described as "inexcusable and without justification" by
Coombs, is symbolic of the entire twisted saga: a gross injustice on
a nauseating scale. We must bear in mind, of course, that Manning
allegedly leaked military files because he, according to unverified
internet chat logs, saw wrongdoing and had no other course of action
because his superiors told him they "didn't want to hear any of it".
He did not want to be complicit in war crimes, and felt that by
leaking the files he could prompt "worldwide discussion, debates, and
reforms".

In recent days and weeks the US government has condemned human rights
abuses and repression in almost every country across the Middle East
- yet at a prison within its own borders it sanctions the
persecution, alleged psychological torture and debasement of a young
soldier who appears to have made a principled choice in the name of
progress.

"Government whistleblowers are part of a healthy democracy and must
be protected from reprisal," said Barack Obama in 2008. But the
stench of his hypocrisy is no longer bearable. It is time, now more
than ever, that Bradley Manning received the justice he so clearly
deserves.