Soldier in Leaks Case Was Jailed Naked, Lawyer Says
By CHARLIE SAVAGE
Published: March 3, 2011
WASHINGTON — A lawyer for Pfc. Bradley Manning, the Army intelligence analyst accused of leaking secret government files toWikiLeaks, has complained that his client was stripped and left naked in his cell for seven hours on Wednesday.
Related
Soldier Faces 22 New WikiLeaks Charges (March 3, 2011)
Times Topic: Bradley Manning
The conditions of Private Manning’s confinement at the Marine brig in Quantico, Va., have drawn criticism in recent months from supporters and his lawyer, David E. Coombs.
The soldier’s clothing was returned to him Thursday morning, after he was required to stand naked outside his cell during an inspection, Mr. Coombs said in aposting on his Web site.
“This type of degrading treatment is inexcusable and without justification,” Mr. Coombs wrote. “It is an embarrassment to our military justice system and should not be tolerated. Pfc. Manning has been told that the same thing will happen to him again tonight. No other detainee at the brig is forced to endure this type of isolation and humiliation.”
First Lt. Brian Villiard, a Marine spokesman, said a brig duty supervisor had ordered Private Manning’s clothing taken from him. He said that the step was “not punitive” and that it was in accordance with brig rules, but he said that he was not allowed to say more.
“It would be inappropriate for me to explain it,” Lieutenant Villiard said. “I can confirm that it did happen, but I can’t explain it to you without violating the detainee’s privacy.”
Private Manning is being held as a maximum security detainee under a special set of restrictions intended to prevent self-injury, even though supporters say there is no evidence that he is suicidal.
During an appearance on MSNBC earlier on Thursday, Geoffrey Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, attributed the general conditions of Private Manning’s confinement to “the seriousness of the charges he’s facing, the potential length of sentence, the national security implications” and to protect him from potential harm.
Also, earlier on Thursday, one of Private Manning’s friends, David House, said in a conference call with reporters that he had visited the soldier the previous weekend and that his mental condition was severely deteriorating as a result of being confined to his cell 23 hours a day, with one hour to exercise in an empty room, and largely isolated from human contact.
But Mr. House said that Private Manning did not seem suicidal and contended that he was being pressured to cooperate.
Investigators have been seeking evidence that could implicate Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, as a conspirator in the leaking of the military and diplomatic documents and videos.
Mr. House spoke on the conference call with Daniel Ellsberg, who compared the leaking of documents to WikiLeaks to his own leaking of the Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam War. On Wednesday, the Army announced 22 additional charges against Private Manning, including “aiding the enemy.”
The charge sheet did not explain who “the enemy” was, leading some to speculate that it was a reference to WikiLeaks. On Thursday, however, the military said that it instead referred to any hostile forces that could benefit from learning about classified military tactics and procedures.
2 opmerkingen:
"And then one fine day the bourgeoisie is awakened by a terrific boomerang effect : the gestapos are busy, the prisons fill up, the torturers standing around the racks invent, refine, discuss."
We stand for truth, for government transparency, and for an end to our tax-dollars funding endless occupation abroad...
We stand with accused whistle-blower
US Army Pfc. Bradley Manning
I Stand with Bradley!
Sign the declaration, "We Stand with Bradley Manning!"
We will send letters on your behalf to Army officials. With
your permission, we will publish your name online, and
possibly list you on the upcoming campaign ad and poster.
E-mail address:
First Name:
Last Name:
Title or profession:
Mailing Address:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Country:
Please publish my: Name Only
Name and Title/Profession
Name and City
Do not publish
You will need to reply to an email to confirm your signature.
All fields are required so that we can mail the letters on
your behalf to Army officials in support of Bradley Manning.
Resources & info
Download petitions (coming soon)
Donate to the defense fund
Collateral Murder video
Write a personal appeal
Hon. Mr. John M. McHugh
Secretary of the Army
101 Army Pentagon, Rm. 3E560
Washington DC 20310-0101
General George W. Casey, Jr.
Cheif of Staff of the Army
101 Army Pentagon, Rm. 3E672
Washington DC 20310-0200
A campaign of the Bradley Manning Support Network and Courage to Resist
Bradley Manning Support Network, c/o Courage to Resist, 484 Lake Park Ave #41, Oakland CA 94610
Het origineel van bovenstaand petitie formulier kan hier ingevuld en ondertekend worden: http://standwithbrad.org/signup.html
Een reactie posten