Some news follow-up on Bradley Manning after War on Error's important diary today on the Marines' detention and release of approved Manning visitors, this week Amnesty International sent a letter of protest to Defense Secretary Robert Gates against Manning's pre-trial treatment and eight months of isolation.
Amnesty said:
The harsh conditions imposed on PFC Manning also undermine the principle of the presumption of innocence, which should be taken into account in the treatment of any person under arrest or awaiting trial. We are concerned that the effects of isolation and prolonged cellular confinement – which evidence suggests can cause psychological impairment, including depression, anxiety and loss of concentration – may, further, undermine his ability to assist in his defence and thus his right to a fair trial.
FDL's Jane Hamsher reported that an MP told her that orders for today's unlawful harassment came from "on-high," whatever that means.
As a military base Quantico is ultimately under the orders of the commander-in-chief, President Obama, then Secretary of Defense Robert Gates who is number two in the chain of military command.
This follows a week in which Manning was placed in a punitive 2 day "suicide watch" against the recommendations of two base psychiatrists, in which he stripped to boxer shorts in his cell and denied his normal hour per day of walking figure eights in another room as exercise. His prescription eyeglasses were also taken away except at times when he was reading, which, having very bad eyesight, caused him to sit in essential blindness. Supporters say Manning was being punished for theprotest action in his support which took place outside the gates on MLK day. His lawyer has filed a formal complaint against the treatment.
A number of psychiatrists and psychiatric organizations have lodged complaints against the eight month confinement of Manning in isolation conditions, in which he is not allowed to exercise in his cell and is forced to stop if he begins to, is locked down for 23 out of 24 hours each day, must take his meals alone rather than in the mess area with other pre-trial and post-trial prisoners. He is interrupted every five minutes under "prevention of injury" watch by a guard asking him "are you ok?" to which he must answer affirmatively. Manning's friend David House has reported after previous visits that Manning's physical appearance and behavior have changed significantly, with Manning now having trouble "focusing" on some subjects during conversation.
Manning stands accused of allegedly leaking documents and videotape to the "information activist" organization Wikileaks, which have revealed, among other things that the Pentagon has been misrepresenting the Taliban's capabilities for shooting down American aircraft with surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), and war crimes such as an Apache helicopter gunship crew killing wounded and those attempting to evacuate them in Baghdad in 2007.
The Wikileaks documents are also now in some quarters credited with acting as a catalyst, at least within the younger generation, for the ouster of Tunisia's corrupt dictator, after the Tunisian Army refused to fire upon protesters. The Tunisian site Naawat.org, which includes a page called "TuniLeaks," including a commentary from a youth:
The internet is blocked, and censored pages are referred to as pages "not found" – as if they had never existed. Schoolchildren are exchanging proxies and the word becomes cult: "You got a proxy that works?"
...
And then, WikiLeaks reveals what everyone was whispering. And then, a young man immolates himself. And then, 20 Tunisians are killed in one day.
And for the first time, we see the opportunity to rebel, to take revenge on the "royal" family who has taken everything, to overturn the established order that has accompanied our youth.
During the unrest, Internet "hackivists" had mounted an attack on Tunisian government websites in protest of the repression by elements of the regime. Many Tunisian youth wore masks modeled on the character in the movie "V for Vendetta" (below) which portrays a modern societal uprising.
White House:
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
The Quantico commandant's name is General James F. Amos
UPDATE - Once again it is not Manning who is breaking the law, it is the military.
Manning attorney has filed motion to dismiss charges based on UCMJ:
The Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial is applied to military jurisprudence through two separate and distinct provisions-- Rule for Court-Martial (R.C.M.) 707 and Article 10 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) (10 U.S.C. § 810). While both provisions seek to protect the same constitutional right, and while there is considerable overlap between the two, each provision has separate rules regarding when the protections attach and when they are breached.
Whether stemming from R.C.M. 707 or from Article 10 UCMJ, a motion to dismiss for lack of a speedy trial must be raised before the court-martial is adjourned, and it is waived by a guilty plea, as provided in R.C.M. 907(b)(2)(A) and 905(e). Once the issue is raised, the burden of persuasion rests with the government. R.C.M. 905(c)(2)(B). Before hearing on the motion, the parties may stipulate as to undisputed facts and dates of relevant pretrial events. The stipulation will provide the court a chronology detailing the processing of the case. R.C.M. 707(c)(2).
R.C.M. 707
R.C.M. 707 provides that charges against an accused must be dismissed if they are not brought to trial within 120 days of the earlier of preferral, pretrial confinement, or recall to active duty under R.C.M. 204. Arraignment equals trial under R.C.M. 904. The date the charge is preferred, pretrial restraint is imposed, or on which the accused is called to active duty does not count toward the 120 days... http://www.armycourtmartialdefense.i...
UPDATE II - The more we dig into the UCMJ the more we see there are already laws prohibiting just the sort of thing they are doing to Bradley.
Uniform Code of Military Justice UCMJ R.C.M. 305(f)
http://court-martial.com/...
(f) Punishment prohibited. Pretrial restraint is not punishment and shall not be used as such. No person who is restrained pending trial may be subjected to punishment or penalty for the offense which is the basis for that restraint. Prisoners being held for trial shall not be required to undergo punitive duty hours or training, perform punitive labor...This rule does not prohibit minor punishment during pretrial confinement for infractions of the rules of the place of confinement. Prisoners shall be afforded facilities and treatment under regulations of the Secretary
concerned.