Greenwald: Bradley Manning Detention Conditions Are "Torture"
Comments (5)
Private Bradley Manning
Greenwald, who is a Constitutional lawyer-turned-blogger/journalist, writes that Manning "has been detained at the U.S. Marine brig in Quantico, Virginia for five months -- and for two months before that in a military jail in Kuwait -- under conditions that constitute cruel and inhumane treatment and, by the standards of many nations, even torture."
Manning told former hacker Adrian Lamo in an online chat that he had downloaded the cables to a CD while pretending to listen to Lady Gaga.
However, Manning has yet to be tried in court, and Greenwald argues that he is being denied his sixth amendment right to a fair and speedy trial. Moreover:
From the beginning of his detention, Manning has been held in intensive solitary confinement. For 23 out of 24 hours every day -- for seven straight months and counting -- he sits completely alone in his cell. Even inside his cell, his activities are heavily restricted; he's barred even from exercising and is under constant surveillance to enforce those restrictions. For reasons that appear completely punitive, he's being denied many of the most basic attributes of civilized imprisonment, including even a pillow or sheets for his bed (he is not and never has been on suicide watch).
Greenwald argues that the unfair and punitive treatment is due to Manning's connection with WikiLeaks. United States Attorney General Eric Holder has said the U.S. is aggressively pursuing any possible legal sanctions against the whistleblowing group and its controversial leader, Julian Assange.
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Comments
Are you kidding me! Do you know how many lives this soldier put in jeopardy. I am in the Army and to know that one of our own betrayed our country is devastating. He volunteered and took an oath to defend this country. His childish behavior put thousands of lives in danger to include all of you who posted support for him. Its funny how people are so against the military, but you have no idea what we endure and our families endure to ensure that you have the right to continue to have your freedom and security. Maybe you should think about that before you start bashing the government and the military at every opportunity. This kid is far from brave or courageous and should go to prison for the rest of his life.
This is terribly sad. On the other hand, given the even sadder reality of the crimes against humanity committed in our name by this government that he knew of, he had no choice. This guy is a hero. We ought to support him as much as we can.
Are the many Unconstitutional lawyers practicing these days?
Bradley Manning is a courageous hero who acted with moral integrity to expose heinous crimes committed. The incarceration of Bradley Manning is anti-human, immoral and evil.
He potentially risked the lives of many servicemen, he's already risked the lives of Afghan/Iraqi servicemen and their families, he's could've also helped promote nationalism in Iran with the Arab leader transcripts. He was erroneous in his actions.
He's not a villain; he might have done it for the best, but his actions had negative consequences.
[...] Greenwald: Bradley Manning Detention Conditions Are "Torture" | Neon Tommy neontommy.com/news/2010/12/greenwald-bradley-manning-detention-conditions-are-torture – view page – cached Salon.com blogger Glenn Greenwald published an explosive piece Wednesday on the detention conditions of Bradley Manning, the 22-year-old Army private who is suspected of leaking over 250,000 classified United States embassy cables to online whistleblowing site Wikileaks. [...]