How THEY Plan to Break Bradley Manning to Get Julian Assange! How WE plan to Stop THEM Doing That!

by newsmedia - newsmedianews Mon Dec 20, 2010 17:05

It is regretable that today's edition of the Irish Daily Mail has engaged in a blatant two page spread character assasination on Julian Assange.

by V for vendetta Mon Dec 20, 2010 23:34

so much for press freedom! Means nothing if it is never used.

It's like I mentioned in the comments here
https://www.indymedia.ie/article/98506

Our system consists of a combination of corruption and employing people with certain views to certain jobs then they just defer to power and police themselves despite their apparent press freedom to do otherwise. Our propaganda system is more subtle than just press freedom.

by Inhumane Conditions Wed Dec 22, 2010 12:40

Supporters Call for End to Inhumane Treatment of Bradley Manning

Quantico, VA, December 22, 2010 – After trying other avenues of recourse, the Bradley Manning Support Network is urging supporters to engage in direct protest in order to halt the punitive conditions of the soldier’s detention. Bradley Manning, 23, has been held in solitary confinement in military jails since his arrest in late May on allegations that he passed classified material to WikiLeaks..

In the wake of an investigative report last week by Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com giving evidence that Manning was subject to “detention conditions likely to create long-term psychological injuries”, Manning’s attorney, David Coombs, published an article at his website on Saturday entitled “A Typical Day for PFC Bradley Manning”. Coombs details the maximum custody conditions that Manning is subject to at the Quantico Confinement Facility and highlights an additional set of restrictions imposed upon him under a Prevention of Injury (POI) watch order.

Usually enforced only through a detainee’s first week at a confinement facility, the standing POI order has severely limited Manning's access to exercise, daylight and human contact for the past five months, despite calls from military psychologists to lift the order and the extra restrictions imposed.

Despite not having been convicted of any crime or even yet formally indicted, the confinement regime Manning lives under includes pronounced social isolation and a complete lack of opportunities for meaningful exercise. Additionally, Manning’s sleep is regularly interrupted. Coombs writes: “The guards are required to check on Manning every five minutes [...] At night, if the guards cannot see PFC Manning clearly, because he has a blanket over his head or is curled up towards the wall, they will wake him in order to ensure he is okay.”

Denver Nicks writes in The Daily Beast that “[Manning’s] attorney […] says the extended isolation — now more than seven months of solitary confinement — is weighing on his client’s psyche. […] Both Coombs and Manning’s psychologist, Coombs says, are sure Manning is mentally healthy, that there is no evidence he’s a threat to himself, and shouldn’t be held in such severe conditions under the artifice of his own protection.”

In an article to be published at Firedoglake.com later today, David House, a friend of Manning’s who visits him regularly at Quantico, says that Manning “has not been outside or into the brig yard for either recreation or exercise in four full weeks. He related that visits to the outdoors have been infrequent and sporadic for the past several months.”

Bradley Manning Support Network founder Mike Gogulski stated that “the Marine Brig is using injury prevention as a vehicle to inflict extreme pre-trial punishment on Bradley Manning. These conditions are not unheard-of during an inmate’s first week at a military jail, but when applied continuously for months and with no end in sight they amount to a form of torture.”

The Bradley Manning Support Network calls upon Quantico base commander COL Daniel Choike and brig commanding officer CWO4 James Averhart to put an end to these inhumane, degrading conditions. Additionally, the Network encourages supporters to phone COL Choike at +1-703-784-2707 or write to him at 3250 Catlin Avenue, Quantico, VA 22134, and to fax CWO4 Averhart at +1-703-784-4242 or write to him at 3247 Elrod Avenue, Quantico, VA 22134, to demand that Bradley Manning’s human rights be respected while he remains in custody.

# # #

References:

“The inhumane conditions of Bradley Manning’s detention”, Glenn Greenwald, 15 December 2010, http://www.salon.com/news/wikileaks/index.html?story=/o...nning

“A Typical Day for PFC Bradley Manning”, David E. Coombs, 18 December 2010, http://www.armycourtmartialdefense.info/

“Bradley Manning’s Life Behind Bars”, Denver Nicks, 17 December 2010, http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-12-...ison/

Bradley Manning Support Network, http://www.bradleymanning.org/

by Manning Speaks Thu Dec 23, 2010 22:06

Bradley Manning Speaks About His Conditions
By: David House Thursday December 23, 2010 6:08 am

Stop the Inhumane Treatment of Bradley Manning

Add your name to our letter urging the humane treatment of Bradley Manning by lifting unnecessary restrictions on his sleep, exercise, and communication.

Sign the letter to the Commanding Officer of Bradley Manning’s brig urging for Bradley’s unnecessary POI order to be lifted

Bradley Manning, the 23-year-old Army private accused of leaking classified information to Wikileaks, has been held in the brig at Quantico Marine Corp Base for five months in inhumane conditions, with severe restrictions on his ability to exercise, communicate, or even sleep. Manning has not been convicted of any crime. Nor is there a date certain for any court hearing.

The conditions of Bradley Manning’s confinement became a top issue in the press last week as bloggers traded blows with US officials over allegations that Manning endures inhumane treatment at the Quantico, VA detainment facility. In the midst of this rush by the Defense Department to contextualize Manning’s confinement, I traveled to see the man himself at the Marine Corps detainment facility in Quantico, VA.

In my visit to see Bradley at the Quantico brig, it became clear that the Pentagon’s public spin from last week sharply contradicts the reality of Bradley Manning’s detainment. In his five months of detention, it has become obvious to me that Manning’s physical and mental well-being are deteriorating. What Manning needs, and what his attorney has already urged, is to have the unnecessary “Prevention of Injury” order lifted that severely restricts his ability to exercise, communicate, and sleep.

Article continued....

http://my.firedoglake.com/blog/2010/12/23/bradley-manni...rfeed

by Frank - Des Moines Catholic Worker Wed Jan 05, 2011 06:24

'Assange case masks Wikileaks message'
Gavin McFadyean and Ciaron O'Reilly joined Press TV to offer their
insights into the political agenda surrounding US bids to extradite
Julian Assange

2 min. into this 6 1/2 min video clip Ciaron's interview starts

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158645.html

PressTV: Let's get the Australian point of view now as after all,
Julian Assange is an Aussie and we are joined by Ciaron O'Reilly with
his views.

Ciaron O'Reilly, what sort of impact is the Julian case having with
Australians? Are they looking at Britain and thinking what's going on
there?

Ciaron O'Reilly: I think people are very distressed that it looks like
a politically driven persecution, not just a prosecution of Julian.
Kevin Rudd, the former prime minister until recently has come out
strongly in favor of Julian's civil liberties and how they're being
infringed here in Britain.

PressTV: You disarmed a B52 American bomber and went to jail for it.
What about what all this means for civil disobedience and actions
against power?

Ciaron O'Reilly: I'm from a pacifist movement, the 'Catholic Worker'
in the US and we do these ploughshares actions - beating swords into
ploughshares and we did that on the eve of the first Gulf War; we
damaged a B52 and put it out of action; it was on 20 minute scramble
alert. When they got to it, it didn't fly for two months.

PressTV: I also understand you are in the Wikileaks…

Ciaron O'Reilly: Yes, well I was arrested again at the beginning of
this war I was in Ireland, where my father is from, and we broke into
Shannon airport, which is a small airport on the west coast of
Ireland, but most US troops that went to Iraq went through that
airport, and we were able to do $2.5 million disarmament (they called
it damage) to this warplane and send it back to Texas.

PressTV: But the reaction in the Irish courts was quite different to
that of the American courts, wasn't it?

Ciaron O'Reilly: Yes. The first trial collapsed after six days after
the judge acted illegally; the second trial collapsed after eleven
days after we discovered that the judge was a personal friend of
George Bush Jr., had been invited to both his inaugurations, and we
had a fair trial the third time and we were unanimously acquitted.

PressTV: Do you think Julian (Assange) would have got better justice
had he been put through the courts in Dublin?

Ciaron O'Reilly: I wouldn't guarantee that. What happened was then the
US embassy stressed out following my acquittal and there were all
these cables going back to (Washington) DC and they were exposed by
Wikileaks, and in those cables, Irish ministers were making derogatory
comments about their own criminal justice system; they're very
sycophantic to the Americans.

PressTV: So if this case goes against him, which is totally
disconnected from Wikileaks we're told - Is he going to get a fair
trial in Sweden?

Ciaron O'Reilly: The fear is, that he will be extradited to the US.
And Sweden historically during the Vietnam period was quite opposed to
the American war in Vietnam. A lot of American resisters fled to
Sweden and were given sanctuary there and the Swedish government has
been quite left wing until recently -- now it's swung the other way
and it's cooperating with the Americans.

PressTV: The Australian foreign minister seemed to come out, well not
really in support of Julian Assange, but certainly kind of critical of
the US -- Do you expect anything of the Australian government?

Ciaron O'Reilly: Mr. Rudd former prime minister, now the foreign
minister, Julian Assange and myself all grew up in Queensland,
Australia, and in the 70s and early 80s all civil rights were
suspended in that state; that's why people like Julian and myself
value free speech so much, I'm not sure what Kevin Rudd's agenda is in
this.

PressTV: But he's not going to be happy is he if this case against
Julian Assange in Sweden suddenly turns into an extradition hearing?

Ciaron O'Reilly: Well as we found out today, it's not a Swedish
opposition to bail, it's a British one and it's obviously the
Americans involved in that.

PressTV: When you've worked on so many campaigns over the years, we
are of course forgetting that after all Julian Assange is the
publisher of [Wikileaks files] -- What about Bradley Manning [US Army
private accused of leaking to the data]?

Ciaron O'Reilly: He's over 200 days into his sentence now. He's rarely
mentioned by the anti-war movement. I've done my best to generate
solidarity for him. He's in a military prison, not a civilian one. He
was originally detained in Iraq and then transferred to Kuwait; now
he's in Quantico (Marine Corp base), Virginia. So I think unless we
build an anti-war movement that could free him, he'll never get out of
prison and he may die in there.

PressTV: What's happened to the anti-war movement in America, it was
absolutely iconic and it defined the Vietnam years?

Ciaron O'Reilly: Well I think those who wage war have also learned how
to market it at home and how to keep people disengaged -- the churches
are quiet, the campuses are quiet, the media, the rock stars -- all
these people who were mobilized in Vietnam.

They've (US) learned from their mistakes and they know how to market
war. The soldiers themselves, there's actually more resistance coming
from within the US military than from civil society.

There are many young men and women in jail now because they are
refusing deployment and redeployment to Afghanistan, but they're
invisible.

PressTV: Ciaron, thank you very much.

by Ciaron - Giueseppe Conlon House/ London Catholic Worker Fri Jan 14, 2011 07:53

Accused Soldier in Brig as WikiLeaks Link Is Sought
Andrew Testa for The New York Times

A sign posted near the British estate where Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, is staying.

Article continued.......
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/14/world/14manning.html?...=eta1

*******************************************************************************************************

Exclusive interview: Julian Assange on Murdoch, Manning and the threat from China

Posted by New Statesman - 12 January 2011 14:03

The WikiLeaks founder talks to John Pilger.

WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange. Photo: Getty Images.

In this week's New Statesman, the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange talks to John Pilger about Bradley Manning, his "insurance" files on Rupert Murdoch and News Corp – and which country is the real enemy of WikiLeaks.

To read the entire feature, pick up a copy of this week's New Statesman, available on news-stands from tomorrow. Some highlights of the piece are below:

The "technological enemy" of WikiLeaks is not the United States, but China, according to Assange.

Article continued....
http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2011/01/...sange

by Col T.V. Johnson and Kev Fri Jan 14, 2011 17:32

Military Statement on Bradley Manning's Prison Conditions

The military rejects accusations that Private Manning has been mistreated. “Poppycock,” said Col. T. V. Johnson, a Quantico spokesman. He insisted that the conditions of confinement were dictated by brig rules for a pretrial detainee like Private Manning. The soldier has been designated for “maximum custody” — applied because his escape would pose a national security risk — and placed on “prevention-of-injury watch,” restrictions imposed so that he does not injure himself.

That status is based on the judgment of military medical experts and the observations of brig guards, Colonel Johnson said. Guards check Private Manning every five minutes but allow him to sleep without interruption from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., when only dim night lights are on, unless they need to wake him to be certain he is breathing.

Colonel Johnson denied that Private Manning was in solitary confinement, as has been widely claimed, saying that he could talk with guards and with prisoners in nearby cells, though he could not see them. He leaves his 6-by-12-foot cell for a daily hour of exercise, and for showers, phone calls, meetings with his lawyer and weekend visits by friends and relatives, the colonel said.

The prisoner can read and watch television and correspond with people on an approved list. He is not permitted to speak to the media.

“Pfc. Manning is being treated just like every other detainee in the brig,” said an internal military review concluded on Dec. 27 and read to a reporter by Colonel Johnson. “His treatment is firm, fair and respectful.”
*******************

The false speak of the military is quite impressive. They have him in a little cell for 23 hours a day for Prevention of Injury - when such conditions will actually cause injury. He's not in solitary because he can hear other prisoners -- of which there are few and hearing them is not talking to them. He can exercise -- yes, in shackles for one hour doing figure 8s in a tiny room, but he is not even allowed to do push-ups in his own cell. They really have lying perfected. The NY Times does an excellent job taking down their claims without rebuttal.

by Lawyer Sat Jan 15, 2011 05:01

Manning's lawyer has requested his release
http://www.armycourtmartialdefense.info/2011/01/confine....html

by J15 Newsetter Bradey Mannin Support Network Tue Jan 18, 2011 04:50

Bradley Manning Support Network Supporters Newsletter
Exposing War Crimes Is Not A Crime!

* * * * * * * * * *

January 15, 2010
Issue: 2.2

Bradley Manning Speaks About His Conditions
Friend and supporter David House recounts a visit to see Bradley at the Quantico brig, where it became clear that the Pentagon's public spin sharply contradicts the reality of Bradley Manning's detainment
http://my.firedoglake.com/blog/2010/12/23/bradley-manni...ions/

Bradley Manning and the Rule of Law
The evidence shows Manning, if guilty of what he is accused, is a patriot and not a traitor. He did not give the documents to a foreign adversary, he is accused of giving them to the media to spur debate and create a more perfect union that did not routinely violate the law and lie to its people.
http://www.bradleymanning.org/15963/bradley-manning-and...-law/

Psychologists for Social Responsibility open letter to Robert Gates on Manning's confinement
"Psychologists for Social Responsibility calls upon [Secretary of Defense Gates] to rectify the inhumane, harmful, and counterproductive treatment of PFC Bradley Manning immediately."
http://www.bradleymanning.org/15952/psychologists-for-s...ment/

Confinement Conditions Update
A brief blog post by Bradley Manning's lawyer, David E. Coombs, regarding the ongoing process to improve P.F.C. Manning's conditions.
http://www.armycourtmartialdefense.info/2011/01/confine....html

Assange: Manning "a Political Prisoner"
Julian Assange boldly covers a range of topics, including Bradley Manning, in an interview with Cenk Uygur on MSNBC.
http://www.bradleymanning.org/15884/assange-manning-a-p...oner/

Bradley Manning: One Soldier Who Really Did "Defend Our Freedom"
While wars are fought for the sole benefit of the moneyed elite, Bradley Manning chose to fight for and defend the basic principles of a functioning democracy.
http://www.bradleymanning.org/15918/bradley-manning-one...edom/

Song for Bradley Manning
David Rovics wrote a catchy tune in support of Bradley Manning!
http://www.youtube.com/user/drovics?feature=mhum#p/a/u/...7DUwI

What Can I Do?
Join the fray! Learn ten simple ways we've come up with for you to help Bradley Manning (plus one more written in the comments section by a very helpful supporter). Together we can!
http://www.bradleymanning.org/what-can-i-do/

The Bradley Manning Support Network is an ad hoc, international grassroots effort to help accused whistle blower Pfc. Bradley Manning.
www.bradleymanning.org

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/savebradley
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/savebradley
Media: +1 (202) 640-4388 or Press@bradleymanning.org

by Commander Quantico 1959 Fri Jan 21, 2011 07:28 U.S.A.

From DAVID C. MACMICHAEL

General James F. Amos
Commandant of the Marine Corps
3000 Marine Corps Pentagon
Washington DC 20350-3000

Dear General Amos:

As a former regular Marine Corps captain, a Korean War combat veteran, now retired on Veterans Administration disability due to wounds suffered during that conflict, I write you to protest and express concern about the confinement in the Quantico Marine Corps Base brig of US Army Pfc. Bradley Manning.

Manning, if the information I have is correct, is charged with having violated provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice by providing to unauthorized persons, among them specifically one Julian Assange and his organization Wikileaks, classified information relating to US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and State Department communications. This seems straightforward enough and sufficient to have Manning court-martialed and if found guilty sentenced in accordance with the UCMJ.

What concerns me here, and I hasten to admit that I respect Manning’s motives, is the manner in which the legal action against him is being conducted. I wonder, in the first place, why an Army enlisted man is being held in a Marine Corps installation. Second, I question the length of confinement prior to conduct of court-martial. The sixth amendment to the US Constitution, guaranteeing to the accused in all criminal prosecutions the right to a speedy and public trial, extends to those being prosecuted in the military justice system. Third, I seriously doubt that the conditions of his confinement—solitary confinement, sleep interruption, denial of all but minimal physical exercise, etc.—are necessary, customary, or in accordance with law, US or international.

Indeed, I have to wonder why the Marine Corps has put itself, or allowed itself to be put, in this invidious and ambiguous situation. I can appreciate that the decision to place Manning in a Marine Corps facility may not have been one over which you had control. However, the conditions of his confinement in the Quantico brig are very clearly under your purview, and, if I may say so, these bring little credit either to you or your subordinates at the Marine Corps Base who impose these conditions.

It would be inappropriate, I think, to use this letter, in which I urge you to use your authority to make the conditions of Pfc. Manning’s confinement less extreme, to review my Marine Corps career except to note that my last duty prior to resigning my captain’s commission in 1959 was commanding the headquarters company at Quantico. More relevantly, during the 1980s, following a stint as a senior estimates officer in the CIA, I played a very public role as a “whistleblower “ in the Iran-contra affair. At that time, I wondered why Lt.Col. Oliver North, who very clearly violated the UCMJ—and, in my opinion, disgraced our service—was not court-martialed.

When I asked the Navy’s Judge-Advocate General’s office why neither North nor Admiral Poindexter were charged under the UCMJ, the JAG informed me that when officers were assigned to duties in the White House, NSC, or similar offices they were somehow not legally in the armed forces. To my question why, if that were the case, they continued to draw their military pay and benefits, increase their seniority, be promoted while so serving, and, spectacularly in North’s case, appear in uniform while testifying regarding violations of US law before Congress, I could get no answer beyond, “That’s our policy.”

This is not to equate North’s case with Manning. It is only to suggest that equal treatment under the law is one of those American principles that the Marine Corps exists to protect. This is something you might consider.

Sincerely,

David C. MacMichael

by Visit Stopped Mon Jan 24, 2011 18:07

MEDIA:
Kevin Zeese
Bradley Manning Support Network

Military steps up retaliation against accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower with arbitrary "suicide watch", followed by detainment of approved visitor

QUANTICO, VA, 23 January 2011 -- Military officials at Marine Corps Base Quantico today increased the isolation of accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning by detaining Manning's friend and regular visitor David House at the base entrance until visiting hours were over. House was accompanied by Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake.com, a website that has collected 42,000 signatures on a petition calling for improvements to the conditions of Manning's detention, which constitute extreme and illegal pre-trial punishment.

"The Bradley Manning Support Network is dismayed that Brad was denied contact with his only regular visitor besides his attorney," founder Mike Gogulski stated. "Immediately following a rally by more than 150 supporters at Quantico last week, Brad was put on suicide watch for two days for reasons his counsel could only conclude were punitive. He was stripped of all of his clothing except his boxer shorts and his glasses were taken away. It seems to me that the Marine command is now reacting in the worst possible way to rising pressure on them."

David House has been making regular trips from his home in the Boston area to visit Manning at the Marine Corps brig since he was transferred there from Kuwait last summer. While detained at the base gate, House posted to Twitter that "one of the many MPs around the car says his orders to stop us come from on high." House and Hamsher were held on entry to the base for nearly the entire period of visiting hours, repeatedly demanded to provide information and documents the MPs already had, and threatened with arrest. Hamsher's car was towed away under the pretext that she lacked proof of insurance, despite having presented a digital copy.

At Firedoglake.com, founder Jane Hamsher wrote: "There is no doubt in my mind that the primary objective of everything that happened today was to keep Bradley Manning from having the company of his only remaining visitor."

"This is a bizarre action by the Marines. I think they see the growing support for Bradley Manning, they see more and more people realizing that he is being treated unfairly, and that as the facts of the case come out more and more people see that he is a patriot and not a traitor," said Kevin Zeese, Director of Voters for Peace and member of the Bradley Manning Support Network's steering committee.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates last week, Amnesty International stated that "the restrictions imposed in PFC Manning's case appear to be unnecessarily harsh and punitive." The letter also suggests that Manning's confinement is in contravention of international law, and calls upon the military to conduct a review.

House intends to return to Quantico next weekend to once again attempt to visit Manning and to deliver the petition.

In addition to petitions and public protests across the nation, the Bradley Manning Support Network has asked supporters to speak out against Manning's inhumane treatment by contacting officials at Quantico. The Support Network encourages concerned individuals to phone Quantico public affairs at +1-703-432-0289, to write to base commander Colonel Choike at 3250 Catlin Avenue, Quantico, VA 22134, and to write to brig commander CWO4 Averhart at 3247 Elrod Avenue, Quantico, VA 22134. We are asking that Bradley Manning's human rights be respected while he remains in custody; specifically, that he be allowed social interaction with other inmates, that he be allowed meaningful physical exercise, that approved visitors be allowed to see him without interrogation and harassment, and that the "Prevention of Injury" order (the military's basis for the extreme pre-trial punishment regime) be lifted.

# # #

References:

Firedoglake.com, "Sign Our Letter: Stop the Inhumane Treatment of Bradley Manning", http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/bradleymanning?sou...e=fdl

Mike Gogulski, Bradley Manning Support Network, "Manning removed from two-day suicide watch; attorney files complaint, calls action punitive", http://www.bradleymanning.org/16023/manning-removed-fro...tive/

David House, Twitter: http://twitter.com/davidmhouse

Jane Hamsher, Twitter: http://twitter.com/janehamsher

Jane Hamsher, "Goal of Quantico Incident Was To Abuse Bradley Manning and Intimidating David House", http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2011/01/23/goal-of-qua...ouse/

Nadim Kobeissi, interviewing Kevin Zeese, CHOMP.FM, "EMERGENCY BROADCAST: Denying Bradley Manning Basic Civility", http://chomp.fm/003/

Amnesty International, "USA: Open letter to Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense", http://amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/006/2011/en

by Welsh Wed Jan 26, 2011 08:26

Wales online/ Western Mail have picked up on Bradley Manning's story
this morning:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/01/26...4750/

by Ciaron - Giuseppe Conon House, London Cathoic Worker Fri Jan 28, 2011 08:46

Human Rights ("Guilford 4") lawyer Gareth Peirce argues against extraditon of Julian Assange (and everybody else!) from Europe to the United States. The argument is based in the present U.S. interpretation of the 8th. amendment that can keep prisoners in indefinite isolation/ "soilitary" and the present interpretation of European Article 3 that guarantees "association" as a basic human right.
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v32/n09/gareth-peirce/americas-non...iance

Bradley Manning is kept on a wing of the prison/ "brig" in Quantico the largest U.S. marine base in the world by himself, with no abiity to communicate with other prisoners, last week his rare visit from the outside was suspended in repsponse to the protest that occured at the gates to Quantico.

That Bradley Manning, a member of the U.S. ARMY, is doing detained in a U.S. MARINE base puts pay to the lie that "he is being treated like any other prisoner!"

by Visitor Manning Fri Feb 04, 2011 05:35

MSNBC VID (3 mins 58 secs) - Interview with David House with David House following his recent visit with Bradley Manning held in solitary at Quantico Marine Base, Virginia, USA

https://donate.firedoglake.com/manningfund2/contribute?...03_nd

by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite party Fri Feb 04, 2011 14:43

..for Assange by Norwegian MP Snorre Valen according to al jazeera.

A 'natural contender' due to 'his disclosing information about corruption, human rights abuses and war crimes..'.

by Manning speaks of Fri Mar 11, 2011 18:01

GUARDIAN Fri March 11

Stripped naked every night, Bradley Manning tells of prison ordeal
US soldier held on suspicion of leaking state secrets speaks out for first time about experience
'Stripping me of all of my clothing is without justification'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2011/mar/11/mains...ction

by Letter from Manning Fri Mar 11, 2011 18:10

LINK - Badley Mannimg's letter from Quantico regarding his treatment and conditions

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=...giogG

by "STOOPID"!" Fri Mar 11, 2011 20:53

Bradley Manning being mistreated, says Hillary Clinton spokesman

PJ Crowley says Pentagon is being 'ridiculous and stupid' by subjecting WikiLeaks suspect to punitive conditions in jail

Bradley Manning Bradley Manning is facing multiple charges relating to his alleged releasing of state secrets. Photograph: EPA

Hillary Clinton's spokesman has launched a public attack on the Pentagon for the way it is treating military prisoner Bradley Manning, the US soldier suspected of handing the US embassy cables to WikiLeaks.

PJ Crowley, the assistant secretary of state for public affairs at the US state department, has said Manning is being "mistreated" in the military brig at Quantico, Virginia. "What is being done to Bradley Manning is ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid on the part of the department of defence."

Crowley's comments are the first sign of a crack within the Obama administration over the handling of the WikiLeaks saga in which hundreds of thousands of confidential documents were handed to the website.

It is the first time anyone within the administration has expressed concern about Manning's treatment, which has included being held for 23 hours in solitary confinement in his cell and being stripped naked every night. Until now the US government had presented a united front, promising to aggressively pursue anyone involved in leaking state secrets. Clinton herself described the WikiLeaks material as "an attack on America" and said "we are taking aggressive steps" to hold those who leaked it to account.

Article continued.....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/11/bradley-man...ments

BBC Report
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12717275

by Mary Kelly Sun Mar 13, 2011 20:37

with PJ Crowley handing in his resignation

"US state department spokesman PJ Crowley has resigned from his post following controversial comments involving the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks..

The news on Sunday came three days after Crowley was reported to have criticised the Pentagon's treatment of detained US soldier Bradley Manning."

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/03/2011....html

by (for Bradley Manning) Mon Mar 14, 2011 10:11

(for Bradley Manning)

By Steven Corseri

"In another world they do not put a man to death for asking questions: assuredly not. ...
When my sons grow up...,
O my friends...,
I would have you trouble them, as I have troubled you,
if they seem to care about riches,
or anything, more than about virtue;
or if they pretend to be something when they are really nothing. ..."
--Socrates (from Plato's Apologia)

For speaking truth to power... a cold cell.
Naked now..., and yet, they fear you!
You watch a spider weave, perhaps recall
The crime scene, viewed on a monitor:

Men like puppets dancing in the dust, fired
On by U.S. drones; and the button-pushers
Laughing, ten thousand miles away--life reduced
To video porn, sordid and crazily robotic.

The robots shop, vote, fuck, kill, do business,
Take meetings, squawk endlessly democracy,
Free markets; get replaced--interchangeable--
In the Machine... until a voice says "No."

And the house of cards collapses; the dream
Recedes; the dark, stark landscape, revealed:
A people bought for bread and circuses--
Mostly circuses--more silouettes than people.

But the voice remains: Socrates in the agora;
Christ among the Pharisees;
Galileo Galilei; Paine and Thoreau;
Gandhi and King--questioning, exposing.

Now in the shackled world, a moan goes up
From the well of our debasement: Cease
And desist: the depredations; soul-murdering;
Earth-murdering. ... The implacable voice arising.

Out of the chrysalis of what has been,
A global being struggles to be free:
To extricate its wings from the wax of retributions;
To save the dying planet; to balance and revere.

Shia, Sunni; Christian, Jew; Buddhist, Hindu, pagan;
Male and female--fledging to resurge anew:
Out of the yearning cauldron of suffering
And endurance--diamond-cut humanity.
_______

About author Gary Steven Corseri has published/posted work at hundreds of periodicals and websites worldwide, including, The Smirking Chimp, The New York Times, Dissident Voice, L.A. Progressive, Information Clearing House, CounterPunch, Global Research, and The Village Voice. His books include the novels, A Fine Excess and Holy Grail, Holy Grail. His dramas have appeared on Atlanta-PBS, and he has performed at the Carter Presidential Library.

by Mary Kelly Sun Mar 20, 2011 09:41

newstalk- 20 minute discussion today re Bradley Manning's situation-fair play to the 'wide-angle' show

http://www.newstalk.ie/

by U.N. / U.S. Tue Apr 12, 2011 08:41

Bradley Manning case sparks UN criticism of US government
UN torture representative suggests White House stalling his private meeting with American soldier

A senior United Nations representative on torture, Juan Mendez, issued a rare reprimand to the US government on Monday for failing to allow him to meet in private Bradley Manning, the American soldier accused of being the WikiLeaks source and held in a military prison. It is the kind of censure the UN normally reserves for authoritarian regimes around the world.

Mendez, the UN special rapporteur on torture, said: "I am deeply disappointed and frustrated by the prevarication of the US government with regard to my attempts to visit Mr Manning."

Manning's supporters claim that the US is being vindictive in its treatment of Manning, who is held at the marine base at Quantico, Virginia, in conditions they describe as inhumane.
ARTICLE CONTINUED
........ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/11/bradley-man...rture

by YOUTUBE Ch 4 2.55 secs Wed Apr 13, 2011 05:10

YOUTUBE (2.55 secs) - recent - Ch 4 U..N/ U.S. tensions over the torture of Bradley Manning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv8xyHhDKkY&feature=yout...gdata

by Washington Post Fri May 06, 2011 08:09

Bradley Manning is at the center of the WikiLeaks controversy. But who is he?

By Ellen Nakashima, Published: May 5
Washington Post

In January 2010, more than 130 people gathered to celebrate the opening of Room B-28, a “hacker space” in the basement of the computer science building at Boston University. The room had two rows of computers running open-source software, and, in conformity to the hacker ethic, its walls were painted with wildly colored murals, extensions of the free expression to be practiced there. That was the reason for the power tools, too — in case someone wanted to build something amazing and beautiful, such as the musical staircase, under construction now, that chimes when you step on it.

One of the visitors was a young Army specialist named Bradley Manning, on leave from duty in Iraq. He had been working with computers, modifying code, since he was a kid. David House, founder of the hacker space, said he immediately sensed that Manning “was in the community,” someone who understood how technology could be empowering. This was the sort of world Manning hoped to inhabit one day, friends said. He had joined the Army so the GI Bill would finance his education. He had his eye on a PhD in physics.

Article continued,,...........
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/who-is....html

Photo gallery
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/bradle....html

by pat c Fri May 06, 2011 13:57

David E. Coombs is Bradley Manning's attorney. Below is an extract from an article on Bradleys improved conditions. Conditions achieved through an international campaign. Full article at link.

Unlike at Quantico, PFC Manning cell has a large window that provides adequate natural light. His cell also has a desk, a bed, and a toilet. The cell is approximately 80 square feet. He is provided with a normal mattress, sheets and a pillow. None of his clothing is taken away from him at night. PFC Manning is able to have all of his personal items in his cell, which include his clothing, his legal materials, books and letters from family and friends. He is also able to have a pen and paper at all times in his cell, and is able to write whenever he chooses.

Any mail sent to PFC Manning will be inspected prior to him receiving it. He is permitted to keep up to 20 pieces of mail in his cell; the remaining mail must be either destroyed or be packaged and mailed to someone else. Correspondence can be sent to PFC Manning at the following address:

Bradley Manning 89289
JRCF
830 Sabalu Road
Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027-2315

by Leavenworth Report & Photos Sun Jun 05, 2011 20:44

June 4th, 2011. Approximately 250 supporters —including many veterans—converged today at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas to rally for Bradley Manning. Supporters arrived from across the country and held large colorful signs that said, “Free Bradley Manning, Hero, Whistle-Blower.” They gathered at Bob Dougherty Memorial Park where they staged a rally with speakers and music for one hour. Then they marched several blocks to the main entrance of Fort Leavenworth, where Bradley Manning is being held.

During the rally, speakers called on the Obama Administration to protect whistle-blowers and to drop all charges against the Army private.

This was the first large public rally to support Bradley Manning since he was transferred to Fort Leavenworth. He was transferred on April 20, 2011, after having suffered under extreme and unusual confinement conditions at US Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. During the nine months at Quantico, Manning was denied meaningful exercise, social interaction, and sunlight, and was at times kept completely naked.

ARTICLE CONTINUED...
http://www.bradleymanning.org/news/veterans-and-support...worth

by 25% snitches - Guardian Mon Jun 06, 2011 22:50

One in four US hackers 'is an FBI informer'

The FBI and US secret service have used the threat of prison to create an army of informers among online criminals

A quarter of hackers in the US have been recruited by federal authorities, according to Eric Corley, publisher of the hacker quarterly, 2600. Photograph: Getty Images

The underground world of computer hackers has been so thoroughly infiltrated in the US by the FBI and secret service that it is now riddled with paranoia and mistrust, with an estimated one in four hackers secretly informing on their peers, a Guardian investigation has established.

Cyber policing units have had such success in forcing online criminals to co-operate with their investigations through the threat of long prison sentences that they have managed to create an army of informants deep inside the hacking community.

In some cases, popular illegal forums used by cyber criminals as marketplaces for stolen identities and credit card numbers have been run by hacker turncoats acting as FBI moles. In others, undercover FBI agents posing as "carders" – hackers specialising in ID theft – have themselves taken over the management of crime forums, using the intelligence gathered to put dozens of people behind bars.

So ubiquitous has the FBI informant network become that Eric Corley, who publishes the hacker quarterly, 2600, has estimated that 25% of hackers in the US may have been recruited by the federal authorities to be their eyes and ears. "Owing to the harsh penalties involved and the relative inexperience with the law that many hackers have, they are rather susceptible to intimidation," Corley told the Guardian.

"It makes for very tense relationships," said John Young, who runs Cryptome, a website depository for secret documents along the lines of WikiLeaks. "There are dozens and dozens of hackers who have been shopped by people they thought they trusted."

full article....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jun/06/us-hac...ormer

by Vid- Leavenworth Demo Fri Jun 10, 2011 20:59

Vid- Leavenworth Demo for Manning (8 mins)
(footage, interviews with veterans and others)
http://www.queerty.com/what-is-the-media-not-telling-us...0610/

by Ciaron - Giuseepe Conlon House, London Catholic Worker Sat Jun 11, 2011 08:02

In England,the left liberal (this maybe not the ideology of those who run this rag, but they definitely know their niche market!) Guardian/ Observer continue to run an "ASSANGE IS BAD, MANNING IS IN MAD"

In the U.S., Manning is being pitched pre-trial as an angry gay man seeking retribution on society.

Last weekend Iraq veterans and others made their way to Leavenworth, Kansas, USA...where Bradley has been transfered after failure to break him over the past 12 months under torture at Quantico (Virginia). Leavenworth is a town of 20,000 in Kansas contains 5 prisons (2 military, 3 civilian). It is located about an hour drive from Kansas City, Missouri. I spoke by phone last night to an organiser who attended the Leavenworth demonstration.

Presently the best hunch of solidarity organisers in the U.S. is that
Pre-Trial will be in 6-8 weeks from now
Trial likely in Dec-Jan
Trial should last 2 1/2 months
Pre-trial & trial will be held near D.C.

David House (tv interview below)
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/12/23/video-david...tion/

My understanding of Grand Jury is that you are granted immunity under questioning and have your "right to remain silent" taken from you. If you refuse to answer any question you can be held for 2 years by the Feds for "contempt of the Grand Jury". This was used against the Puerto Rican independence movement activists extensively in the '80's. I was in Oklahoma Prison with a young Italian American who had refused to answer questions about his uncle accused of Mafia activity. I was told that after the two years they can call together a new Grand Jury and put you throught the process again. Last year accross the U.S., there were a series of raids of anti-war activists some who had visited Palestine with ISM last year - the same tactic is being deployed against them.

The footage below contains interviews with veterans responding to the present U.S. mainstream media character assasinations on Bradley Manning.

Vid- Leavenworth Demo for Manning (8 mins)
(footage, interviews with veterans and others)
http://www.queerty.com/what-is-the-media-not-telling-us...0610/

Julian Assange goes to his High Court Appeal in London against extradition on July 12 & 13.
Tie to spaek out and act up in solidarity with Brad and Julian and all resisting these wars!

by Grand Jury update Sun Jun 12, 2011 09:20

UPDATE on U.S. Wkileaks Grand Jury...more subpeonas, explanation of how Grand Jury works etc

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/....html

by Tatchell Peter Youtube Mon Aug 01, 2011 14:28

YOUTUBE Human Rights activist Peter Tatchell speaks at Giuseppe Conlon CW House, London in support of Bradley Manning, July 29th. 2011

http://blog.ukfriendsofbradleymanning.org/2011/07/23/pe...riot/

by Wed High Court Mon Oct 31, 2011 12:23 HIgh Court, The Strand, London

Ruling on the appeal of extradition without charge to Sweden from July 2011 hearing.

Thus far, Julian Asssange has been held under house arrest for 328 days without charge in Britain
A WikiLeaks Grand Jury continues to convene and summons witnesses in Virginia, USA



YOUTUBE (6 mins)  'Assange Subterranean Homesick Blues'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGb9pqcz3_Y


****Also Bradley Manning's pretrial hearing looks like it may be soon

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/oct/29/governm...age=1

http://news.antiwar.com/2011/10/30/report-army-to-discl...ning/


Assange and Manning Solidarity actions have been happening at occupy lsx

http://wiseupforbradleymanning.wordpress.com/2011/10/29...ndon/

by Ciaron - Giuseepe Conlon House, London Catholic Worker Tue Mar 13, 2012 10:34

* Bradley Manning's maternal grandfather came from Dubln, Ireland.
* Bradley's Welsh mother lives in rural Wales where she has been harassed by the F.B.I.
* Bradley was deployed to Iraq through Shannon Airport, Ireland.

GUARDIAN - Bradley Manning's treatment was cruel and inhuman, UN torture chief rules
UN special rapporteur on torture's findings likely to reignite criticism of US government's treatment of WikiLeaks suspect

The UN special rapporteur on torture has formally accused the US government of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment towards Bradley Manning, the US soldier who was held in solitary confinement for almost a year on suspicion of being the WikiLeaks source.

ARTICLE CONTINUED.....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/12/bradley-man...nt-un

*OZ SNAP RALLIES PLANNED IN RESPONSE TO SUPREME COUT RULING ON JULIAN ASSANGE EXTRADITION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbyRkL1GI9Y&feature=share

*WELSH NATIONAL THEATRE PRODUCTION - "THE RADCALISAT ION OF BRADLEY MANNING"
The play will be staged at the school Bradley attended in Pembrookshire, also in Cardiff and elsewhere in Wales over April. It will be livestreamed on the net
http://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/group/ntw18

*THURS & FRI 15 & 16TH. PROSECUTION PRE-TRIAL HEARING AT FT, MEADE
SOLIDARITY ACTONS GLOBALLY
http://www.bradleymanning.org/activism/vigil-for-bradle...dwide

* FRI. MARCH 16TH. SOLIDARITY VIGIL U.S. EMBASSY LONDON
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2012/03/493217.html

by Pre-trial reports Thu Mar 15, 2012 22:14

M15 - Reports from first day of Manning pre-trial hearing at Ft. Meade

http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2012/03/15/defense-fil...ning/

http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2012/03/15/live-blog-b...ring/

by VID Fri Mar 16, 2012 07:59

David House just wrapped up an excellent interview on MSNBC to discuss
Brad's appearance in court and talk about the larger issues at play.
VID - Extracted a clip here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdTXLxhkx2c