Concerns, Protests Grow Over Wikileaks Soldier Bradley Manning
More concern over the conditions of Wikileaks soldier Bradley Manning, which has been called "torture" by Salon's Glenn Greenwald. Now, a psychologists group concurs:
In the latest public pronouncements calling attention to Manning's plight, the Psychologists for Social Responsibility this week sent an open letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates saying it is "deeply concerned" about Manning's confinement conditions at a military prison at Quantico, Va.
"As an organization of psychologists and other mental health professionals, PsySR is aware that solitary confinement can have severely deleterious effects on the psychological well-being of those subjected to it," the group said. "We therefore call for a revision in the conditions of PFC Manning’s incarceration while he awaits trial, based on the exhaustive documentation and research that have determined that solitary confinement is, at the very least, a form of cruel, unusual and inhumane treatment in violation of U.S. law."
The letter deplores the "needless brutality" of Manning's conditions and says they undermine his right to a fair trial.
According to his lawyer, "Manning is confined in a 6-by-12-foot cell with a bed, a drinking fountain and a toilet for about 23 hours a day. On a " typical day," he is awakened at 5 a.m. and is not allowed to sleep between 5 a.m. and 8 p.m.; if he tries to sleep during those hours, guards will make him sit up or stand. He eats all his meals in his cell. He is allowed one hour of "exercise" daily outside his cell, consisting of walking in figure eights in an empty room, according to Coombs. When he goes to sleep, he is required to strip down to his boxer shorts and give his clothing to the guards. He is not allowed to have any personal items in his cell.
David House at FireDogLake, visited Manning, and agrees with the assessments above. Read his extensive report here.
Some have said that Manning's conditions are an effort to get him to name Julian Assange as a conspirator in order to get Assange on espionage charges.
Manning has not been convicted of any crime.
Scotty is 100% right.
The rightwing pro-war vermin who want Manning punished are as retarded as it's possible to be.
They're turning on a hero of the GLBT and antiwar movements because they're still in the last closet, the closet of frightened piglets.
The only traitors in this picture are the Bushes, the Clintons, Obama, their Cabinets, the JCS and CIA and their congressional toadies are traitors to world peace and mass murderers. We should demand the convening of an International War Crimes Tribunal.
Bradley Manning is not a traitor, he's a hero. We should demand that he be freed and given the Medal of Honor. We should demand that all the troops be brought home now and demobilized.
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Number Six of the Nuremburg Principles: The crimes hereinafter set out are punishable as crimes under international law:
(a) Crimes against peace:
(i) Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression...
(ii) Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned under (i).
(b) War crimes.
Posted by: Bill Perdue | Jan 8, 2011 10:30:02 PM
Soldiers do not have rights, and are not privilaged with miranda rights. All of this is understood the moment you sign your life away. If this individual is being locked up, it is to keep him alive and in decent health. As a soldier and as an intelligence analysist he has been breifed multirple times about the ramifications of disclosing clssified information. He admits to the crime, now he will suffer the penalties.
Posted by: SPC Moreno | Jan 16, 2011 11:01:40 PM