UN Torture Chief’s Report Officially Condemns US Treatment of Bradley Manning

UN Torture Chief’s Report Officially Condemns US Treatment of Bradley Manning
By: Kevin Gosztola Monday March 12, 2012 12:13 pm

After fourteen months of investigation, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez has published his report on the United States’ “cruel and inhuman treatment” of Pfc. Bradley Manning, who allegedly released classified information to WikiLeaks. The findings are part of a report on “torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” in countries of the world.

Mendez concluded, “Imposing seriously punitive conditions of detention on someone who has not been found guilty of any crime is a violation of his right to physical and psychological integrity as well as of his presumption of innocence.” He demanded to know why the government was holding an “unindicted detainee in solitary confinement.” The US government said Manning was under “prevention of harm watch” and was not being held in “solitary confinement.” However, the government never provided details on “what harm was being prevented.”

The government asserted in a response to Mendez that the “brig commander” had authorization to “impose” an “isolation regime” because of the “seriousness of the offense” for which Manning would eventually be charged.

Mendez tried to get a private unmonitored meeting with Manning on the conditions of his detention. According to the report, the US government would not guarantee the conversation would be private. Mendez declined to meet because it would violate terms applied universally in “fact-finding.” He sent a follow-up letter to the government on May 13, 2011. The government continued to refuse to grant Mendez a “private, unmonitored and privileged” meeting with Manning.