UN Torture Rapporteur Accuses US Government of Cruel and Inhuman Treatment of Bradley Manning
[Professor Juan Méndez, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, was once a victim of torture by the brutal Argentine dictatorship. In his duties as a special investigator and rapporteur for the UN, he was alerted to the treatment of accused whistleblower Pfc. Bradley Manning, and his report on his investigation became public, as reported below. -- Frontlines ed.]
by Andy Worthington
March 13, 2012
Bradley Manning
Last week, at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Professor Juan Méndez, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, spoke about the case of Pfc. Bradley Manning, the alleged WikiLeaks whistleblower, telling the news agency AFP, “I believe Bradley Manning was subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in the excessive and prolonged isolation he was put in during the eight months he was in Quantico.”
This was a reference to the US military brig near Washington D.C., where Manning was held after his arrest in Kuwait, and before he was moved to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas (on April 20 last year). when his treatment noticeably improved. I wrote about Manning’s ill-treatment at the time, in my articles, Is Bradley Manning Being Held as Some Sort of “Enemy Combatant”?, Psychologists Protest the Torture of Bradley Manning to the Pentagon; Jeff Kaye Reports, and Former Quantico Commander Objects to Treatment of Bradley Manning, the Alleged WikiLeaks Whistleblower. In addition, as I noted in an article last November, after Manning had been charged, and when a date was set for his first hearing:
Among the disturbing details to emerge was information about his chronic isolation, and about the enforced use of nudity to humiliate him, all of which provided uncomfortable echoes of the Bush administration’s torture program, as used in military brigs on the US mainland on two US citizens, Jose Padilla (who lost his mind as the result of his torture) and Yaser Hamdi, and US resident Ali al-Marri. Read more »
Obama Shoots the Messengers, Attacks Whistleblowers
Barack Obama campaigned under a banner of transparency in government, but has proven to be the most secrecy-fixated president of all time. Across the breadth of the bureaucracy, there is a mania to hide the facts from the people. “Senior leaders of the Department of Defense intentionally and consistently misled the American people and Congress about success in the Afghan War.” Public employees labor in fear. “These agencies are corrupt and we are still on the bus fighting like Rosa.”
by Marsha Coleman-Adebayo
“Under this administration there is a concerted attack against those who dare to expose corruption in government or corporations.”
Barack Obama’s administration has launched attacks unparalleled since the McCarthy years on those who blow the whistle against corruption inside the federal government.
Obama has already charged more whistleblowers under the Espionage Act than all previous administrations combined (as reflected in the list below.) Peter van Buren, a career foreign affairs officer at the Department of Department of State claims his job was threathened after writing, We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People [6]. Van Buren, who became disillusioned by waste and hypocrisy while serving in Iraq, says “The number of cases in play [against whistleblowers] suggests an organized strategy to deprive Americans of knowledge of the more disreputable things that their government does. How it plays out in court and elsewhere will significantly affect our democracy.”
Van Buren points out that the pre-World War 1 Espionage Act has been used against “labor leaders and radicals like Eugene V. Debs, Bill Haywood, Philip Randolph, Victor Berger, John Reed, Max Eastman, and Emma Goldman. Debs, a union leader and socialist candidate for the presidency, was sentenced [7] to 10 years in jail for a speech attacking the Espionage Act itself. The Nixon administration infamously (and unsuccessfully) invoked the Act [8] to bar the New York Times from continuing to publish the classified Pentagon Papers.” But no other administration has used this legislation as liberally as President Obama who has authorized more drone attacks than any other American president. Read more »
February 23: International protests at the arraignment of Bradley Manning
23 Feb: Vigil at US Embassy, London as Bradley Manning is Arraigned in US
WISE Up for Bradley Manning | 20.02.2012
Thursday 23 February, 5pm – 6pm: Stand in solidarity with Bradley Manning in London as he is arraigned for Court Martial in the US. The Vigil will take place at the hour the arraignment is starting at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Meet in front of the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square. Nearest tube: Bond Street
Solidarity Vigil presently sponsored by London Catholic Worker, Veterans for Peace UK, WISE Up for Bradley Manning
Short YouTube video of a previous vigil outside the US Embassy by British Veterans in solidarity with Bradley Manning here
The Court Martial of Bradley Manning is expected to begin in early May.
Meanwhile, the US National Lawyers Guild has called for all charges against Bradley Manning to be dismissed.
WISE Up for Bradley Manning
e-mail: wiseupforbm[at]yahoo.com
Homepage: http://wiseupforbradleymanning.wordpress.com
Arraignment date set for Peace Prize nominee Bradley Manning
Bradley Manning
WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Army announced that a formal arraignment date has been set for PFC Bradley Manning. The arraignment has been scheduled for 01:00 PM EST, February 23, 2012 at Fort Meade, Maryland. This arraignment will set the dates for a series of hearings on pre-trial motions, as well as the start of the full court-martial.
“Bradley Manning’s show trial will begin in earnest with this arraignment,” said Jeff Paterson, a lead organizer with the Bradley Manning Support Network. “If the Obama administration was the least bit concerned with providing a fair trial, they would have allowed the defense to explore critical issues, such as unlawful command influence, over-classification, and the torturous conditions to which PFC Manning has been subjected while in their custody. If they were concerned about justice, they would drop the charges against Bradley Manning and prosecute those whose crimes have been revealed.”
Military officials have routinely blocked requests by Manning’s defense team, led by Iraq war veteran David Coombs, for access to evidence and witnesses that could explore these and other relevant issues. During the Article 32 proceedings held in December, the defense was largely restricted by military officials to a discussion of mitigating factors related to Manning’s emotional health. The defense is expected to renew their requests through additional motions leading up to the court-martial.
The arraignment comes as PFC Manning was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by members of the Icelandic Parliament. A blog post by MP Birgitta Jónsdóttir explained their rationale for the nomination:
“According to journalists, his alleged actions helped motivate the democratic Arab Spring movements, shed light on secret corporate influence on our foreign policies, and most recently contributed to the Obama Administration agreeing to withdraw all U.S. troops from the occupation in Iraq.”
Organizers with the Bradley Manning Support Network expect the court-martial to begin as early as May. Hundreds of supporters demonstrated outside the Article 32 hearings. Organizers say that the Obama administration can expect even larger numbers at the court-martial.
UCBerkeley Whistle-blowers conference to support Bradley Manning
#TRUTHCON
Open Space Whistleblower and Transparency Conference
February 17-19, Berkeley
On the weekend of February 17, 2012, an unusual mix of notable experts from surprisingly disparate backgrounds will meet at UC Berkeley for a three-day conference. The conference will focus on discussion and creative innovation concerning the importance of truth and transparency to a free society. The “Occupy The Truth” Conference is open to the public.
The conference will begin Friday night at 6pm with mixer followed by an esteemed panel of speakers, featuring Daniel Ellsberg, Col. Ann Wright and former CIA analyst Ray McGovern. At 8:30pm Reverend Billy Talen will give a rousing “sermon.”
Saturday and Sunday begin at 9:00am with registration and breakfast ending with a closing circle from 5 to 6pm. The days will be broken up into ‘unconference’ style workshops, wherein attendees will collaboratively create and manage the conference’s agenda and work flow.
The host organization, FRESH JUICE PARTY, is a politically prejudiced media group best known for interrupting President Obama at a fundraiser to protest the illegal treatment of accused WikiLeaker, Bradley Manning. Now they say they are set to hold their own party, where they will welcome constructive interruption, performance, and innovation. You should definitely expect the unexpected. Read more »
Iraq: US declared victory and got out of town before criminal indictments for war crimes were served
Bradley Manning: Hero or Traitor?
When he announced that the last U.S. troops would leave Iraq by year’s end, President Barack Obama declared the nine-year war a “success” and “an extraordinary achievement.” He failed to mention why he opposed the Iraq war from the beginning. He didn’t say that it was built on lies about mushroom clouds and non-existent ties between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda. Obama didn’t cite the Bush administration’s “Plan for Post-Saddam Iraq,” drawn up months before 9/11, about which Former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill reported that actual plans “were already being discussed to take over Iraq and occupy it – complete with disposition of oil fields, peacekeeping forces, and war crimes tribunals – carrying forward an unspoken doctrine of preemptive war.”
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta also defended the war in Iraq, making the preposterous claim that, “As difficult as [the Iraq war] was,” including the loss of American and Iraqi lives, “I think the price has been worth it, to establish a stable government in a very important region of the world.”
The price that Panetta claims is worth it includes the deaths of nearly 4,500 Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. It includes untold numbers wounded – with Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – and suicides, as well as nearly $1 trillion that could have prevented the economic disaster at home.
The price of the Iraq war also includes thousands of men who have been subjected to torture and abuse in places like Abu Ghraib prison. It includes the 2005 Haditha Massacre, in which U.S. Marines killed 24 unarmed civilians execution-style. It includes the Fallujah Massacre, in which U.S. forces killed 736 people, at least 60% of them women and children. It includes other war crimes committed by American troops in Qaim, Taal Al Jal, Mukaradeeb, Mahmudiya, Hamdaniyah, Samarra, Salahuddin, and Ishaqi.
The price of that war includes two men killed by the Army’s Lethal Warriors in Al Doura, Iraq, with no evidence that they were insurgents or posed a threat. One man’s brains were removed from his head and another man’s face was skinned after he was killed by Lethal Warriors. U.S. Army Ranger John Needham, who was awarded two purple hearts and three medals for heroism, wrote to military authorities in 2007 reporting war crimes that he witnessed being committed by his own command and fellow Lethal Warriors in Al Doura. His charges were supported by atrocity photos which have been released by Pulse TV and Maverick Media in the new video by Cindy Piester, “On the Dark Side in Al Doura – A Soldier in the Shadows.”
. CBS reported obtaining an Army document from the Criminal Investigation Command suggestive of an investigation into these war crimes allegations. The Army’s conclusion was that the “offense of War Crimes did not occur.”One of the things Manning is alleged to have leaked is the “Collateral Murder” video which depicts U.S. forces in an Apache helicopter killing 12 unarmed civilians, including two Reuters journalists, and wounding two children. People trying to rescue the wounded were also fired upon and killed. A U.S. tank drove over one body, cutting the man in half.
The actions of American soldiers shown in that video amount to war crimes under the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit targeting civilians, preventing the rescue of the wounded, and defacing dead bodies. Read more »
Graham Nash and James Raymond release song and video in support of Bradley Manning
[From the Bradley Manning Support Network website, http://www.bradleymanning.org/activism/graham-nash-and-james-raymond-release-song-video-in-support-of-bradley -- We urge all Frontlines readers to check the Bradley manning site regularly for updates in the case, and for the best ways to join the campaign to Free Bradley Manning, at http://www.bradleymanning.org/ -- Frontlines ed.]
Rock and roll hall of famer Graham Nash and James Raymond have released a new song and video, “Almost Gone (The Ballad of Bradley Manning)”, in support of accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower Bradley Manning. The video release comes just in time to help raise awareness about Bradley Manning’s upcoming December 17th pretrial hearing – which is also Bradley’s birthday. The Bradley Manning Support Network is calling for that day to be an international day of solidarity in his honor, and to date over 40 events have been announced. Stand up for Bradley Manning and enjoy the music, which Nash and Raymond have given us permission to share here.
Written and performed by Graham Nash and James Raymond, video by Andrew Thomas.
Almost Gone (The Ballad Of Bradley Manning )
Written by Graham Nash and James Raymond
Locked up in a white room, underneath a glaring light
Every 5 minutes, they’re asking me if I’m alright
Locked up in a white room naked as the day I was born
24 bright light, 24 all alone
What I did was show some truth to the working man
What I did was blow the whistle and the games began
Tell the truth and it will set you free
That’s what they taught me as a child
But I can’t be silent after all I’ve seen and done
24 bright light I’m almost gone, almost gone
Locked up in a white room, dying to communicate Read more »
Veterans and supporters of Bradley Manning demonstrate at gates of Fort Meade hearing
Reinforcements Arrive from Occupy Wall Street
FORT MEADE, MARYLAND — Eighteen months after he was first accused of revealing information to WikiLeaks, PFC Bradley Manning appeared before an Article 32 investigating officer this morning. Supporters began gathering outside the gates of Fort Meade to call for Manning’s freedom and denounce the proceedings as unjust. Inside the tightly-controlled military court room, lead defense counsel David Coombs challenged the investigating officer, Army Lt. Col. Paul Almanza, to recuse himself due to conflicts of interest.
“Military officials have begun conducting their star chamber prosecution after abusing Bradley Manning of his rights for eighteen months,” said Jeff Paterson, an organizer with the Bradley Manning Support Network, who was speaking from the vigil at Fort Meade. “The investigating officer is not only biased to produce an outcome that is favorable to his employer at the Justice Department — he’s under pressure from his Commander-in-Chief, who has already inappropriately weighed-in on this case.”
Supporters have long argued that PFC Manning could not receive a fair hearing due to unlawful command influence from President Obama, who publicly declared in April that the former Army intelligence analyst “broke the law.” Read more »
San Francisco, California: Rally and March for Accused Wikileaker Bradley Manning
Is Bradley Manning Being Treated Like a Guantanamo Detainee?
March 4, 2011
By Kevin Gosztola, OpEd News "Free Bradley Manning" demonstration (August 2010) Manning Stripped Naked for Two Consecutive Nights: Quantico or Abu Ghraib?
Former Pfc. Bradley Manning, the soldier accused of leaking classified information (specifically a video showing U.S. military in Iraq firing on civilians and two journalists), continues to experience intense solitary confinement in the Quantico Marine Brig in Virginia. The accused military whistleblower, whom the army filed 22 additional charges against days ago, has now been stripped naked two nights in a row. Coombs, Manning’s counsel, reported Manning was stripped naked March 2 of all his clothing and forced to remain in his cell naked for the next seven hours until early in the morning on March 3. He added a wake-up call was sounded at 5:00 am, “Manning was forced to stand naked at the front of his cell,” a Duty Brig Supervisor arrived and Manning “was called to attention,” a detainee count was conducted and afterwards Manning was told to sit on his bed, and minutes later his clothing was returned.
Now, Coombs reports:
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Glenn Greenwald: Bradley Manning Hit With New Charges in WikiLeaks Case, Includes “Aiding the Enemy”
Mar 3, 2011
DemocracyNow.org -
The U.S. Army has filed an 22 additional charges against Army Private Bradley Manning, who is alleged to have illegally downloaded hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. military and State Department documents that were then publicly released by WikiLeaks. One of the new charges, “aiding the enemy,” could carry a death sentence. Democracy Now! interviews Glenn Greenwald, constitutional law attorney and legal blogger for Salon.com. “Although the charging document does not say who the ‘enemy is,’ there’s only two possibilities,” Greenwald says. “Either they mean Wikileaks … or any kind of leak now of classified information to newspapers where your intent is not to aid the Taliban, but expose wrongdoing.”
Daniel Ellsberg: “WikiLeaks’ Manning is no traitor”
Tells Facebook, Google, Twitter: resist!
21 January, 2011
Bradley Manning, the alleged source of WikiLeaks’ dossiers on Iraq and Afghanistan, is not a traitor – and big firms must take a stand to protect whistle-blowers from US government demands to spy on their data, according to Daniel Ellsberg, the former CIA man who leaked the Pentagon Papers.
Ellsberg, who last year signed an open letter supporting WikiLeaks, said companies such as Google, Facebook and Twitter need to stand firm in the face of excessive requests by government for access to personal data.
“You are facing a challenge at this moment of profound implications for our democracy,” Ellsberg told Silicon Valley executives in Santa Clara, California, on Wednesday night.
Ellsberg was part of a panel discussing the reaction of corporations such as Amazon, eBay, Visa and Mastercard to US government pressure aimed at shutting down the whistle-blowing site. Read more »
It is a crime to witness felonies and stay silent; Manning didn’t
Video by David Swanson
How Manning Is Being Treated:
http://warisacrime.org/content/how-bradley-manning-really-being-treated
Quantico, Virginia (January 17, 2011) – Over 150 concerned citizens risked arrest today at the gates to the Marine Corps base at Quantico in order to protest the inhumane conditions that accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower Army Pfc. Bradley Manning has been held in for seven months and counting. Supporters marched towards the base front gate chanting “Free Bradley Manning!,” approximately a mile from the brig where Bradley has been held in solitary confinement for the last five months, before being stopped by Marine MP’s. CodePink activists had collected a care package for Bradley that included a blanket, a Snuggie, cookies, books and music. Unfortunately and unsurprisingly, it was rejected by the Marines. Earlier in the day, many of these activists rallied outside FBI Headquarters in Washington DC to protest the September raids on anti-war organizers in Chicago and Minneapolis.
These actions were organized by a wide range of organizations, including: the Defending Dissent Foundation, WarIsACrime.org, Bradley Manning Support Network, DC Bill of Right Coalition, Progressive Democrats of America, World Can’t Wait, DC National Lawyers Guild, CodePink, Peace Action, United for Peace and Justice, Witness Against Torture, Backbone Campaign, Courage to Resist, and others.
