WikiLeaks Suspect is Deteriorating Mentally, Physically, Friend Says

Source: CNN

WikiLeaks suspect is deteriorating mentally, physically, friend says

By Larry Shaughnessy, CNN Pentagon Producer
February 1, 2011 10:25 p.m. EST

A friend of WikiLeaks suspect Army Pfc. Bradley Manning describes him as being "frazzled" behind bars.

Washington (CNN) -- After more than six months in maximum confinement in the U.S. Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Virginia, the prime suspect in the WikiLeaks case "seems frazzled," says one of the few people to visit Army Pfc. Bradley Manning.

He is "sometimes simply catatonic, unable to have conversations about anything really," said David House, who has visited his friend in the brig.

House said Manning is physically deteriorating. "He hasn't exercised in seven or eight months since he was confined," House said.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/01/wikileaks.manning

The more they can break him down, the more likely he'll implicate others, such as Julian Assange.

It's terribly wrong; the man is not by any definition a dangerous criminal. To my mind, he hasn't done anywhere near the damage that people like Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Kissinger et al, have done to their compatriots. Yet they walk free.

The system's all wrong, everywhere.

It is possible he knew more that would make the Gov. look bad so they are "ruining him".

PB

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and what party he/she's affiliated to. Rule by Law, or Rule by $.

There will be a lot of martyr's before the earth is whole again.

-p

It also depends on the mental eval and who's writing it.

-p

to others who may leak their shit.

he will be a martyr

they were going to do everything in their power, including torture, to hurt him and keep him from ever testifying. God, my heart breaks for him.

He is under Obama's care
I'm very disappointed
even Sirhan who killed Kennedy was not treated like this young man

Great government we have.

there is any permanent damage done to him. :(

It is totally fucked up that they can be doing this to him, and suffer no repercussions for it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but he hasn't been charged with anything yet, so there is no scheduled court date, and that means he is in there basically indefinitely until they decide they want to bother to do something to file a charge, put him in front of a court martial, or let him go.

In the meantime, they are deliberately torturing him with impunity just because they can get away with it, and Obama is allowing it to happen on His Watch as Commander In Chief. Obama is Responsible for the torture of this U.S. Marine.

Either way, makes you wonder what is going on in this country. The Constitution is very clear about no forced testimony, the rights of prisoners and human rights in general.

Doesn't seem to matter. Cruelty reigns. That's the sign of a police state. When the police are not worried enough about public opinion to refrain from torture.

:grr: :grr: :grr:

is not longer.

whose watch is this happening on?

a restoration of the rule of law.

I read today that because he is half British, there is some effort in Britain to intervene on his behalf.

There needs to be a massive protest, worldwide, against the U.S. torture policies. If they would do this to one of their own, a man who tried to stop war crimes, torture in particular, and under this administration, why would anyone believe that 'we don't torture' anymore?

have dual citizenship, that he's an American and proud of it - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/02/AR2011020203997.html

Congress -- and our elected officials -- tomorrow????

n/t

:thumbsup:

Or so he seems to think these days.

Here is why? If the police feel they must answer to the people of the country, they dare not torture. But if the police are confident that they answer only to their police or military superiors and not to the public at large, then they feel perfectly free to vent their cruelty on prisoners. The police have no civilian control. Think about it.

Kieth Olbermann will show it. Uh I mean Dan Rather. Uh, Phil Donahue. Uh, Bill Moyer, Uh Bill Mahrer.

It's actually a better idea to do it somewhere in DC--more newstrucks.

They all of the sudden do not seem to give two shits about the only person involved in this fiasco who has suffered verifiable harm: the leaker.

The hypocrisy is nauseating sometimes.

We can't handle the truth :sarcasm:

in this and other areas (drones etc.) sickens me. I am sorry I voted for him. I won't make that mistake again.

I suppose someone will come along to say I want a pony, or some such drek. F*ck them!

I will say it for the umpteenth time...How is supporting the execrable actions of this president any different than what we ridiculed Bush supporters for? There has to be a line somewhere, and this is mine. :puke:

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The only "conservative self-righteous bullcrap" here is yours! Not only do most DUers support Bradley Manning but most have been critical of the administration's position here. It's the Becks of the world who are calling Manning a traitor, not progressives. Progressives understand what Manning did was right and good. He exposed war crimes. He saw real wrongs and he couldn't live with the American lies about what was going on in Iraq. That, in my book, makes him a hero. In Glenn Beck's book it makes him a traitor.

Like you, I won't make that mistake again.

is different than civilian justice.

the penalties are more severe and there is no such thing as parole or time off for good behavior.

where is his lawyer? Military or no, he has legal representation. why no briefs? no motions? no trial date?

various briefs, and he seems competent, but he's got a loser case, and he knows it. He went for private counsel--the counsel's last defendant of note is currently sitting on federal death row, but that was a definite loser case.

She goes with David House when he visits Bradley. The new brig commander is going over his file and there possibly could be some changes in his detention conditions. There's also a link to a petition. They're putting more pressure on David when he goes to visit. They treat Brad as if he's Bin Laden yet he's not been charged with a single thing and the evidence they have on him is questionable.

http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2011/01/31/bradley-manning-punitive-psychiatric-status-remains-but-hopeful-about-youth-uprising-in-tunisia-and-egypt/

Bradley became excited and engaged, however, when David mentioned the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt

and I doubt the evidence is questionable - if he put classified data on his personal computer then a good IT forensic analyst will find it.

http://www.bradleymanning.org/3163/charge-sheet-html/

He's afraid of what the republicans will say. The truth is that this kid violated the UCMJ, and he caused some serious troub;e, but he does not deserve this treatment. I'll bet there are murderers and rapists that are treated better.

They get a slap on the back and an "attaboy" in the military justice system.

Sounds like torture to me, even if its not physically painful.

This is what happens if you cross the powerful.

Fuck with us and we will break you.

Does anyone know what is happening to family or friends of Mr. Manning? Are they being targeted, job loss, etc.?

We're screwn.

I told people this was going to happen to any of us when they did it to Jose Padilla. They cracked his mind and he was happy to confess whatever they wanted to hear.

The true horror of absolute power is that it doesn't need a reason.

it's own people!

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like the one in charge of Manning's confinement are emboldened by the loudmouth neanderthals of the "conservative" movement. I think it needs to be pointed out that "conservatives" really stand for liberal corporate participation in the democratic process and liberal use of the media to spread their hateful and ignorant message. Maybe that will blow their mind to learn they are really liberal in their views on some things.

he followed the edicts of the Geneva Convention.

"He's being held behind bars because he is deemed a threat, that he has been alleged to have committed a very serious crime that potentially undermines our nation's security, and therefore he needs to be confined during the course of a trial," Morrell said.

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial... Amendment VI, Bill of Rights.

...nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. Amendment VIII, Bill of Bights.

The key clauses are "right to a speedy and public trial" and "nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted" (No exceptions are noted for the armed forces, and to the best of my knowledge the UCMJ assumes none).

He was charged in July, and pretrial hearings start this month. His attorney hasn't raised the issue.

As for 'cruel and unusual punishment' the conditions in the Quantico Brig would have a far way to go before they reached a level that was considered reviewable. If Supermax (and that's where Manning will probably end up) is legal, then this is.

I'm not saying it's right, but I have yet to have a single poster on this board indicate a legal precedent that supports either claim.

There's a reason the defense have gone to the press, and not to the courts.

The more I look at legal issues the more I am persuaded that a lot of law needs revision.

the lack of response from officials and the fact that his confinement conditions are more severe than necessary.

See http://www.armycourtmartialdefense.info/2011/01/article-138-complaint.html and http://www.armycourtmartialdefense.info/2011/01/pfc-bradley-manning-is-not-being.html:

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Sometimes it is so hard not to be jealous of your freedom!

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:silly:

nothing bad ever happens in Canada, huh?:eyes:

and be tried by your sleazy military. He was a child soldier and probably innocent.

No other country left their citizens in Guantonamo. His treatment was far worse than Manning's and CSIS from Canada violated his rights.

Then there was another Canadian citizen to whom we eventually paid $10,000. because we allowed the US to ship him off to Syria for a little bit of "extraordinary rendition".

No there are some terrible people in Canada and Stephen Harper is one of them.

On the whole though I do believe Canada is a kinder gentler country and I wouldn't trade places with you. My mother was American so I had the option.

Canada may be a "kidner gentler country"...But it's mother country of Great Britain,

during its "empire" certainly wasn't.


Beyond that, your personal preferences are important....Why?

It's precisely the opposite of an empire. So bears almost no resemblance, except through coercion, to this very emphatic Empire pressing through its border and throughout its provinces.

"confession".

Who's next?

this type of confinement is simply inhumane and to my mind should be outlawed

if he is guilty of anything other than embarrassing the powerful, bring him to trial while he is still in his right mind and can participate in his own defense...not after months of being denied even the right to exercise, this is simply cruelty and it's a disgrace to the usa that our gov't participates in this kind of treatment of prisoners

...In Washington's Brave New World, pop-psychology concepts, including some from the father of "learned helplessness" theory that inspired the Bush-Cheney "enhanced interrogations", are being tried out for use against federal workers, as ex-government officials Linda Lewis and Coleen Rowley discuss in this guest essay. (1-11-11 Consortium News)

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2011/011111b.html

K&R

by Ed Pilkington, Chris McGreal and Steven Morris (2-1-11 Guardian article)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/01/bradley-manning-uk-citizen

Wow, you learn something everyday...otoh a foreigner in US military wouldn't that make him a spy under USMCJ?

His mom is Welsh, but he's born in America and has never claimed UK citizenship.

There's a sizeable percentage of non-citizens in our services. It is often used as a stepping stone to citizenship.

We use to be a country of 'innocent until proven guilty'. Now we are a country of, 'guilty until proven innocent'. 2000 changed everything.

wont help.

send the message -- make them ignore you --

It probably won't help -- but I'll be doing it anyway -- !!

This treatment is common in US Jails and Prisons.

:kick: