Mistreatment criticized by over 300 law professors and the United Nation's chief torture investigator
Over a half million people write President Obama urging end to abuse
Retired US Army Colonel: “Obama could end torture of Manning with one phone call”
April 19, 2011
Alleged WikiLeaks source
to be moved away from attorney
and DC-area backers;
however, Kansas residents
already preparing to spearhead support
"The military and Administration has been shocked by the support Bradley Manning has garnered globally ~ specifically at the gates of Quantico, Virginia. Last month, 500 supporters rallied near the Marine brig where PFC Manning has been held since August 2010. It wasn’t a secret that we were preparing to rally one to two thousand for an upcoming DC-area pre-trial hearing," explains Jeff Paterson of Courage to Resist and the Bradley Manning Support Network.
"PFC Manning’s transfer from Virginia to Kansas limits his access to his civilian attorney David Coombs of Rhode Island. It also severely limits visitation opportunities by his East Coast family and friends," explains attorney Kevin Zeese, an organizer with the Bradley Manning Support Network.Congressman Dennis Kucinich declared today,
"Any move of PFC Manning does not change the underlying fact, which has not been disputed by the Department of Defense, that he has been held under conditions which may in fact constitute 'cruel and unusual punishment’ in violation of the 8th amendment."Ethan McCord, Kansas resident and a former Soldier who appears in the "Collateral Murder" video that PFC Manning is accused of leaking, declares,
"Bradley Manning is accused of doing nothing more than heroically telling the truth. I and many others here in Kansas are already planning support actions at Leavenworth."Patterson adds:
"I’m concerned that the military is simply moving to further isolate PFC Manning. The idea that Quantico brig commander CWO2 Denise Barnes, without direction from above, imposed and maintained the current torturous conditions of PFC Manning’s detention is ridiculous. However, we will demand that Army officials at Leavenworth finally take responsibility for correcting this ongoing injustice. I know many hold out hope for them to do so.”US Army intelligence analyst Private First Class Bradley E Manning, 23-years-old, has been held in maximum and solitary-like confinement conditions since his arrest in Iraq in May 2010. He still awaits his first public court hearing, now expected to begin in June.
Over 300 of America’s top legal scholars have decried PFC Manning’s confinement conditions as in clear violation of the US Constitution.
Over 3,500 individuals have contributed over $280,000 towards PFC Manning’s legal fees and related public education efforts.
Over 500,000 people recently signed a statement to President Obama calling for an end to PFC Manning’s torturous conditions of confinement.
The Bradley Manning Support Network (http://networkedblogs.com/gREN4 ) is dedicated to winning the freedom of PFC Manning.
A few of the reports, photos, and videos from around the world:
Veterans lead march on White House to free Bradley Manning and end wars. Photos by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist. Washington DC. 19 March 2011
"Hundreds protest treatment of alleged WikiLeaks whistleblower," video and article by CNN. Quantico, 20 March 2011
"The Uncommon Valor of Bradley Manning Blocked at Quantico Brig," video by Eddie Becker. Quantico, 20 March 2011
"Riot police at Bradley Manning rally," video by Dennis Trainor. Quantico, 20 March 2011
Live video stream archive by FireDogLake, hosted on UStream. Quantico, 20 March 2011
Photos from the Rally for Bradley! At Quantico by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist. 20 March 2011
"Protesters decry the jailing of WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning," (with video) by Bryan Denson, The Oregonian. Portland, 20 March 2011
"Supporters for WikiLeaks whistle-blower gather in Philly" by Naomi Jagoda
Photos from the Vancouver, Canada, US Consulate rally by Jay Black. 20 March 2011
Bradley Manning vigil in Budapest video. 20 March 2011
Reports, videos, and photos by stopthesewars.org. 19-20 March 2011
CodePink rallies "naked" to call attention to forced nudity by Marine jailers (photos | video). San Francisco, 22 March 2011
Washington DC, March 14, 2011 ~ On March 19-20, 2011, activist organizations and individuals will take to the streets to protest the U.S. government's treatment of accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower Army Private First Class Bradley Manning.
Manning, 23, has been held in isolation for nearly 300 days, charged with releasing classified documents, including a video that shows American troops shooting and killing 11 people, including two Reuters employees, in 2007.
Organizers are calling on supporters around the world to take public action to protest Manning's inhumane treatment at the Quantico brig, which P.J. Crowley, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton's former assistant for public affairs, declaimed last week as "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid."
The primary rally will take place outside the brig in Quantico where Manning is being held. In addition to the Quantico rally, the Bradley Manning Support Network is pleased to announce events in cities around the world, including Minneapolis, London, Montreal, The Hague, Phoenix, San Diego, and Vienna.
"On March 2nd, Manning was stripped of his clothing and forced to spend the night naked, then stand for inspection the next morning without his clothes. This happened again the following night, and we don't know how long this will keep going," said Jeff Paterson, steering committee member of the Bradley Manning Support Network and project director of Courage to Resist.
"This pre-trial punishment is inhumane and un-American." Despite the recommendations of three forensic military psychiatrists, the MCB Quantico Commander refuses to lift PFC Manning's Prevention of Injury (POI) status and change his confinement classification from MAX to Medium Custody in (MDI).
Manning's imprisonment has resulted in an international outcry, and his conditions are the subject of an investigation by the UN special rapporteur on torture and a recent campaign by Amnesty International. Famed Pentagon Papers whistle-blower Daniel Ellsberg, who will be speaking at a rally in Quantico on the 20th, has called Mr. Manning "a new hero of mine."
MORE INFORMATION:
* See currently scheduled list of events: http://www.bradleymanning.org/events
* Details about the Quantico rally: http://www.bradleymanning.org/16125/rally-for-bradley-quanitco-virginia-sun-march-20/
* Details are also cross-posted at WLCentral http://wlcentral.org/node/1461
* Learn how to host a rally for Bradley Manning: http://www.bradleymanning.org/16362/how-to-have-an-event-for-bradley-manning The Bradley Manning Support Network is a grassroots, nonpartisan organization which works to:
* Stop the extreme, inhumane and illegal pre-trial punishment of Bradley Manning
* Ensure that Bradley Manning receives top-notch legal representation from the lawyer of his choice
* Stop any effort by the United States government to hold a secret court martial trial, unchecked by public and media oversight
* Free Bradley Manning!
"On March 2nd, Manning was stripped of his clothing and forced to spend the night naked, then stand for inspection the next morning without his clothes."
ReplyDeleteGee, isn't this what the Nazi's did to their POWs?