Private First Class Bradley Manning
(United States Army, Wikimedia Commons)
The Pentagon announced Tuesday that it will be moving Bradley Manning from the Quantico brig in Virginia to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, perhaps in response to
harsh criticism leveled at the administration by the United Nation's senior representative on torture, Juan Mendez, legal scholars, and
former administration members.
Manning will be transferred to in a new medium-security facility at Ft. Leavenworth, KS.
Jeh Johnson, the Pentagon's top lawyer, said the move does not suggest that Army Pfc. Bradley Manning's treatment at the Marine Corps base at Quantico, Va., was inappropriate.
But the transfer, which Johnson described as "imminent", comes in the wake of international criticism about Manning's treatment during his detention at the Marine Corps base at Quantico. And the conditions of Manning's detention have been the focus of repeated protests from human rights groups and lawmakers.
Johnson, however, said that "The fact that we have made a decision to transfer this particular pretrial confine ... should not be interpreted as a criticism of the place he was before."
Speaking to reporters Tuesday during a hastily arranged briefing, Johnson and Army Undersecretary Joseph Westphal acknowledged that the brig at Quantico was not designed to hold pretrial detainees for more than a few months.
"This is the right decision, at the right time," said Westphal. "We were looking at a situation where he would need an environment more conducive for a longer detention."
What was made clear in that press conference, as FDL's Michael Whitney writes, is that Manning is likely to be held for a long time.
Despite being held for 11 months, including 8 in abusive conditions at Quantico, there are no plans to try Manning any time soon. And the Pentagon made it clear:
the possibility that he will remain in pre-trial confinement for an additional time [...]
and then when you look forward at the likely time before this case goes to trial, [...]
And given the length of time it appears he’ll be in pre- trial confinement, we believe that at this point, this was an appropriate thing to do. [...]
what the projected likely length of time of the pre-trial phase of this case [...]
given the length of time — in the future it looks — it looks as if he’ll be in pre-trial confinement. [...]
given what the likely period of pre-trial confinement in the future will be [...]
And so if you’re in a place for what we expect will be a longer period of pre-trial confinement, [...]
But it is a place where if you’re going to be confined for a longer period of time, [...]
this is a complex case, and we are probably months off from the trial of this case. [...]
While Manning will be in a medium security facility now, where there is the possibility that he be treated like a normal prisoner, have contact with others, have the opportunity to exercise, eat with other prisoners, and hopefully remain clothed, that's not guaranteed. It's dependent up on an "in-depth risk assessment" of Manning's health and psychological status.