Stripped naked every night, Bradley Manning tells of prison ordeal

[steve2470]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/11/stripped-naked-bradley-manning-prison

Ed Pilkington in New York
The Guardian, Friday 11 March 2011

Bradley Manning, the US soldier being held in solitary confinement on suspicion of having released state secrets to WikiLeaks, has spoken out for the first time about what he claims is his punitive and unlawful treatment in military prison.

In an 11-page legal letter released by his lawyer, David Coombs, Manning sets out in his own words how he has been "left to languish under the unduly harsh conditions of max custody" ever since he was brought from Kuwait to the military brig of Quantico marine base in Virginia in July last year. He describes how he was put on suicide watch in January, how he is currently being stripped naked every night, and how he is in general terms being subjected to what he calls "unlawful pre-trial punishment".

It is the first time Manning has spoken publicly about his treatment, having previously only been heard through the intermediaries of his lawyer and a friend. Details that have emerged up to now have inspired the UN to launch an inquiry into whether the conditions amount to torture, and have led to protests to the US government from Amnesty International.

The most graphic passage of the letter is Manning's description of how he was placed on suicide watch for three days from 18 January. "I was stripped of all clothing with the exception of my underwear. My prescription eyeglasses were taken away from me and I was forced to sit in essential blindness."

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. "I have said repeatedly that America doesn't torture." Barack Obama

I guess he left out the part about "...unless some PFC embarrasses the bigshots."

[DeadEyeDyck]

2. Obama could pardon him in a heartbeat

He is Commander in Chief. He can order the Pfc released or hung! But it appears this kid is going to sit there and rot just like the GitMo detainees.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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[BOHICA12]

7. Should of heard his Dad on the News Hour ....

.... what a cold ass freak! Plumb scary.

[Matariki]

10. blah blah blah.

what were you saying? It looked like a bunch of garbled talking points.

[Name removed]

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[joshcryer]

5. It's up to us to have him pardoned, but no chance in hell it happens until after 2012.

We can do it.

[Name removed]

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[Paper Roses]

3. This should not stand. I am ashamed of my country. n/t

[WingDinger]

6. What this tells me is they deeply desire a showtrial.

If they are SOOOOOOOO intent on him not cheating them out of a show, they would do him like this.

[originalpckelly]

8. Undies = naked?

Fuck, if that's naked, don't go to a gay pride parade, you'll see naked people.

[AmandaMae]

9. This makes me sick. I wish there was something we could do.

[Obamanaut]

11. Some hyperbole here. There is a limit as to how bad one's vision can

be to enter the military. Essentially blind without corrective lenses would render a potential enlistee ineligible.

"...I was forced to sit in essential blindness..."