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Bradley Manning and the stench of US hypocrisy
Byrnzie
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... -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
Ryan Gallagher
guardian.co.uk, Friday 4 March 2011
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.
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
Ryan Gallagher
guardian.co.uk, Friday 4 March 2011
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.
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Comments
Poor kid,
And I think it hypocritical for Brits with a long history of worldwide abuse to take some sort of moral highground on anything related to human rights. I can think back just as far as atrocities commited in India. And the ongoing "troubles" in Ireland.
Stick with cleaning up your own backyard. Maybe one day we'll get to do the same.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
Strangely enough, I'm not responsible for what the British government did in India, or Northern Ireland. So I'll take whatever 'moral highground' I see fit.
Still, interesting that you'd defend a political prisoner being tortured on your home soil, and dismiss any criticism of it with reference to something completely irrelevant.
There's no truth in it at all. British citizens have just as much right to highlight and condemn injustice as anybody else.
Breaking that oath makes him no better than those he would try to embarrass with this treason. And yes , this is treasonous of him to A. steal this info and B to disseminate said info. More so since he betrayed his "brothers in arms" , the boots on the ground.
Not responsible, eh? I find that funny.Being that at every turn ,you seem to try to shame or lay blame and guilt on the average american citizen for not making effective within our government.
You sir , are not much more than a fingerpointer with not many solutions offered for the worlds ills.
Go ahaed. post a link. that sums up what you do.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Bullshit. He exposed war crimes, which would otherwise have gone unreported and unpunished.
You find it funny that I'm not responsible for the crimes of my government, including what happened 50 years before I was born?
Whether you feel guilty or not is none of my concern. And I don't blame the average American citizen for the crimes of the U.S government. But don't let any of that get in the way of your little hissy fit.
FREE JULIAN ASSANGE!!!
these men are courageous. these men are the REAL heroes.
the shit they are going through is the exact same shit a whistleblower at a factory or corporation goes through when they expose the laws being broken by the factory or corporation. it is like the law breakers get a pass while the people that expose them take all of the heat and end up being punished somehow. instead of receiving thanks from those who are supposed to be on the whistleblowers' side, they receive condemnation and punishment. kind of fucked up there. actually very fucked up there. it is almost like the take home message here is "if you see war crimes and international law being broken, take that to your grave, and do not interfere" instead of "if you witness anything illegal, immoral, or outright wrong notify everyone up your chain of command to insure that it is addressed properly."
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
"..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
“..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
this is interesting
i believe this relates to manning
and the jist of it is
if he had first notified congress or somone assigned to receive this type of info
he would have been protected
and he must have known about this protection,
why not notify congress first and then give the info to assange?
RED ROCKS 6-19-95
AUGUSTA 9-26-96
MANSFIELD 9-15-98
BOSTON 9-29-04
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MANSFIELD 6-30-08
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WORCESTER 10-15-13
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HARTFORD 10-25-13
Interesting indeed!
http://www.whistleblowersblog.org/2010/06/
--
Side note, with as much corruption,crimes and whatever else the US and her allies are involved in and commit, perhaps it was best to just go straight to a place like WikiLeaks. You know, before you get adjustment bureaued
hey mick
why would you defend a corrupt government
that treats it's veterans, wounded or healthy, like shit
over a whistleblower who is trying to right some wrongs
and you are ok with his torture because he took an oath?
RED ROCKS 6-19-95
AUGUSTA 9-26-96
MANSFIELD 9-15-98
BOSTON 9-29-04
BOSTON 5-25-06
MANSFIELD 6-30-08
EV SOLO BOSTON 8-01-08
BOSTON 5-17-10
EV SOLO BOSTON 6-16-11
PJ20 9-3-11
PJ20 9-4-11
WRIGLEY 7-19-13
WORCESTER 10-15-13
WORCESTER 10-16-13
HARTFORD 10-25-13
The 25-year-old soldier is accused of transmitting hundreds of thousands of government and military documents to whistleblower organization WikiLeaks, which published the material. Among the documents were evidence of war crimes, including a video WikiLeaks published under the name “Collateral Murder,” showing US military helicopters gunning down Iraqi civilians, journalists and first responders in cold blood. Other documents made clear that the US vastly underreported civilian casualties in Afghanistan.
Army Colonel Denise Lind, the judge overseeing the ongoing pretrial hearings at Fort Meade, Maryland, granted a government motion that questions of conscience and “good faith” are irrelevant in the case. This strips Manning of any potential legal protection offered under a whistleblower status and prevents any discussion of the content of the leaked material from reaching the American public.
The prosecution introduced a second motion prohibiting courtroom discussion over the question of over-classification of documents on the part of the government. The Obama administration, which has prosecuted a record number of whistleblowers and classified a higher proportion of material than the Bush administration, is seeking to avoid any challenge to government secrecy.
i am not surprised though. i think it makes americans look even worse than what was depicted in the videos and leaks when they will not let the man have the same legal protections as other whistleblowers.
this should anger all americans.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
“The judge read a ruling for over one hour and a half and the entire press pool scrambled to keep up with what she was reading,” Gosztola commented. “There were no breaks. She read the entire ruling, which was probably at least fifty pages if not more.”
Given the magnitude of the case, the minimal coverage in the US media is notable. The national evening news programs—including on ABC, CBS, NBC, cable news channels CNN and MSNBC—carried no reports on the case. Very little of substance concerning the courtroom proceedings has reached the American public.
Mens rea says that a crime requires criminal intent. By discarding this legal principle, Lind has prevented Manning from showing that his motive was to do his duty under the military code and reveal evidence of war crimes. This allows prosecutors to turn a dutiful act into the crime of aiding the enemy by revealing classified information.
Of course, nothing that Manning allegedly revealed helped the enemy in any way as the enemy, having suffered the war crimes, was already aware of them. This has nothing to do with protecting national security or protecting classified information from enemies and everything to do with setting an example for whistleblowers and shielding the public from what the a government does in its citizens name.
Adrain Lamo a q and a with the guy who turned manning in
All this happening under Obama administration, where is the Transparency and Justice that was promised from Obama himself? Why didnt Obama prosecute ONE person from the Wall St. scams? Not one prosectution from the country almost going over the cliff? HMMMMMM OK !
A man that stands for nothing....will fall for anything!
All people need to do more on every level!
he probably has not prosecuted anyone from wall street because he is the president and not the attorney general, and because the wall street people are the ones that pay him. and what does it matter? if he had gone after the wall street people you would most likely say he was "infringing on their rights because what they did was technically legal". he can't win no matter what he does.. no matter what he does the right is gonna bitch about it.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
Barack Obama once campaigned as a friend to whistleblowers. Yet his Justice Department has launched twice as many Espionage Act prosecutions against domestic leakers as all previous administrations combined. One defendant, former National Security Agency official Thomas Drake, resembles an older version of Swartz: a former math and chess prodigy, Drake saw wanton illegality in the NSA’s post-9/11 surveillance program. When his internal complaints went nowhere, he went to The Baltimore Sun. The case against Drake crumpled on contact with a courtroom, but it was enough to ruin his career and financial well-being. Drake pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and now works at an Apple Store when he isn’t attending Bradley Manning’s court hearings.
http://www.thenation.com/article/172380 ... y-manning#
98 CAA
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a 7 hr summation just so the press wouldn't write anything on the defense that day!? ... pathetic ...
right result
According to the yahoo article.
I wonder what the military charges were?
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14