The inhumane conditions of Bradley Manning's detention

[cory777]

Source: Salon

Bradley Manning, the 22-year-old U.S. Army Private accused of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, has never been convicted of that crime, nor of any other crime. Despite that, he has been detained at the U.S. Marine brig in Quantico, Virginia for five months -- and for two months before that in a military jail in Kuwait -- under conditions that constitute cruel and inhumane treatment and, by the standards of many nations, even torture. Interviews with several people directly familiar with the conditions of Manning's detention, ultimately including a Quantico brig official (Lt. Brian Villiard) who confirmed much of what they conveyed, establishes that the accused leaker is subjected to detention conditions likely to create long-term psychological injuries.

Since his arrest in May, Manning has been a model detainee, without any episodes of violence or disciplinary problems. He nonetheless was declared from the start to be a "Maximum Custody Detainee," the highest and most repressive level of military detention, which then became the basis for the series of inhumane measures imposed on him.

From the beginning of his detention, Manning has been held in intensive solitary confinement. For 23 out of 24 hours every day -- for seven straight months and counting -- he sits completely alone in his cell. Even inside his cell, his activities are heavily restricted; he's barred even from exercising and is under constant surveillance to enforce those restrictions. For reasons that appear completely punitive, he's being denied many of the most basic attributes of civilized imprisonment, including even a pillow or sheets for his bed (he is not and never has been on suicide watch). For the one hour per day when he is freed from this isolation, he is barred from accessing any news or current events programs. Lt. Villiard protested that the conditions are not "like jail movies where someone gets thrown into the hole," but confirmed that he is in solitary confinement, entirely alone in his cell except for the one hour per day he is taken out.

In sum, Manning has been subjected for many months without pause to inhumane, personality-erasing, soul-destroying, insanity-inducing conditions of isolation similar to those perfected at America's Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado: all without so much as having been convicted of anything. And as is true of many prisoners subjected to warped treatment of this sort, the brig's medical personnel now administer regular doses of anti-depressants to Manning to prevent his brain from snapping from the effects of this isolation.

Read more: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/12/14/manning/index.html

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Uncensored Activist News http://activistnews.blogspot.com/

[Angry Dragon]

1. This is not the country I want

[truedelphi]

2. This might sound like a frivolous response, but

I mean it sincerely.

In an old "Law and Order" episode, Stabler was quite critical of a guy who had committed a crime after being imprisoned in Maxiumum Security setting for several years.

Stabler was able to arrange for one of his buddies to put him inside the New York City prison system, and to keep him in Maximum Security setting. No exercise, no lights on, no TV or radio, no human communication, except for the fact that a non-speaking guard would shove a meal through the floor slot every six hours or so during the day.

At the end of two days, he thought he had been imprisoned for a week. He was completely disoriented, and close to some combination of despair, paranoia, and mental break down.

Usually these TV dramas have some sort of research done as a back ground for anything that is written. So I accepted it as a true indictment of the setting.

To my mind, this type of imprisonment is as close to irreparable harm as there can be, short of absolute torturous settings.

[KT2000]

32. Saw that

and have remembered it.
These prisons know full well that their methods destroy people mentally. I don't know how they could live with themselves.

[truedelphi]

35. It was especially disheartening that our prison system

is considered as a vast warehouse, with prisoners often their for the sake of the privatized prison system.
When you read the memoirs of people who as poor blacks spent time inside the Southern Prison system after the Civil War - many of them had more humane experiences than people have now. They didn't have to worry about being raped by fellow prisoners - and they often were given work assignments that they could take pride in.

[Rage for Order]

3. Where did I put that thing...

Wait, here it is

:nopity:

[villager]

6. -1

n/t

[Mudoria]

27. May I join the band?

:nopity:

[Raster]

29. I guess you didn't see the video of American helicopters blowing away unarmed reporters and children

Will you be playing that sad little song for them also?

[truedelphi]

36. I play a very sad song in my heart.

Which in many ways has not stopped since back in the days of the Vietnam War.

Journalists were sacrificing their lives to get the truth out to us while they witnessed the savagery of American troops. Troops who were just folowing their orders.

[Raster]

39. And there has been a concerted American effort to wage war against journalists and other...

...non-combatants. Bradley Manning did not endanger anyone EXCEPT the military brass that want to keep their war criminal activities hidden from view.

I wonder if all those singing the "hang 'em high" tune would feel any different if it were their relatives and their children indiscriminately blown away by American helicopter gunships?

[Creative]

4. Such is the life of someone who releases classified information that may,

if it hasn't already, gotten someone killed.

[sabrina 1]

19. In a civilized society, NO, it is NOT the 'life of someone who has

been accused, not yet tried, and not convicted of anything. The comments supporting cruel and unusual punishment on this board, a Democratic board, are sickening to me.

We have a system of JUSTICE in this country, although I am almost certain now that those are just words. That means if someone is accused of committing a crime, they are tried publicly and openly. It is against the Geneva Conventions to do what is being done to this man. Even if convicted, every human being, no matter how egregious the crime, is to be treated humanely.

Revenge, torture etc. are not part of any our laws. In fact they are against our laws. If he is sentenced to prison, he is, under our laws, deprived of his freedom, that is all. Justice is served and that is all we are permitted to do under our laws.

I used to have to make these points to Republicans after the revelations at Abu Ghraib. They, who had initially accused me of 'not wanting to shut down Saddam Hussein's torture chambers' a ploy to get support for the Iraq War implying that 'we do not torture people'. However, once they found out that we did and do, they fully supported US doing it, NOT anyone else. Unfortunately you cannot have it both ways. I never thought back then, that I would be making the same arguments on a Democratic board. I thought that's what made us different to Republicans.

The treatment of Manning and so many others in U.S. custody has ranked this country with Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and other third world dictatorships, the kind we can never again criticize, as we have the gall to do.

And this is why Julian Assange's extradiction to this country will fiercely opposed. We torture people and no country in the EU which has signed on to the laws forbidding extradition to countries that torture or kill detainess, can support the extradition of anyone to the U.S. How disgraceful it is that we have come to this.

[oneshooter]

21. We have three systems of JUSTICE in this country,

There is civil court, criminal court, and the UCMJ aka The Uniform Code of Military Justice. He is being held under the latter, a form of justice he agreed to when he raised his right hand.

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

[Ellipsis]

23. delete.

[oneshooter]

24. Then HE should contact HIS lawyer, as allowed by the UCMJ. n/t

[Ellipsis]

28. His lead attorney is David Edward Coombs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Edward_Coombs

I wonder if he's lucid enough to do so.

http://www.armycourtmartialdefense.com/

[sabrina 1]

30. Provide some evidence that any soldier signed on to being

tortured under the UCMJ please.

[former9thward]

41. I didn't agree to torture when I raised my right hand.

Maybe people in your unit did.

[Creative]

37. Fortunately, you do not get to decide the terms of Private Manning's confinement.

Moreover, legal action against PVT Manning will occur under military law (UCMJ), not in civilian courts. His confinement, under the terms of the UCMJ is not considered cruel, unusual, or torturous.

Now, it is abundantly clear that PVT Manning has broken the law; in fact, his offenses my rise to the level of treason. Therefore, he cannot be confined with other prisoners, for that would allow the possibility for him to transfer classified information to others. Furthermore, there is the possibility that the other prisoners would harm him, as no one likes a traitor.

[coalition_unwilling]

40. Buh-bye presumption of innocence. Welcome to my Ignore list - n/t

[stray cat]

5. I guess if it was a corporate person who sold nuclear plans to North Korea or Al Qaeda

The treatment would also be outrageous? It is inhumane regardless of the crime?

[WinkyDink]

9. One might kindly wait until the actual trial and conviction. If it's not too much of a bother.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[oneshooter]

22. Guess what happened to the Rosenbergs? n/t

[villager]

7. just when you thought the word "underground" couldn't be more mocked here...

...you come across some of the pro-torture replies in this thread...

[xocet]

10. I am always amazed by those who are for torture....

It makes me wonder exactly what progressive or liberal ideas they actually embrace. Not torturing seems to be a fairly foundational idea - if one cannot muster empathy for that cause, what empathy can one actually feel?

The USA was wrong to attack Iraq, and President Obama should have investigated and prosecuted those who committed us to that war. Wikileaks, Manning, etc. seem to me to be the blow back. I hate the idea that the USA is a renegade nation that does not respect the rule of law, but that is apparently what we have become. Manning and others are likely sacrificing their lives to get messages out that the people of this country need to hear.

[Odin2005]

34. "They" are not liberal or Progressive in any way, they are just pro-Obama.

As far as "they" are concerned if Obama supports it, it's good. It's a personality cult.

[lunatica]

8. Has anyone asked how a 22 year old PRIVATE had access to classified documents?

Maybe I've just missed it, but the story seems highly suspect to me. Do Privates get Secret Clearance? Has the military changed that much? Or is it the stupidest thing we've heard so far?

[enough]

12. Good question. (nt)

[MrsBrady]

13. one can be a civilian with a secret clearance, if the

job requires it....

so I don't see why a private could not get one.

[Ellipsis]

14. Yea. Here's his wiki page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_Manning

[Brother Buzz]

16. I had a COSMIC NATO and a US Top Secret as a Private First Class

And I was just a dumb draftee that added "no value, no advantage really, to the United States armed services"....

:shrug:

[NobodyHere]

17. Yes, if the job requires it

There's no Time in Service requirement for security clearances. You can get one as soon the government completes their investigation of you.

[Statistical]

20. Depends on your job.

The idea that only high ranking people need clearance and access to classified material to do their job is kinda silly.

He is an intel analyst. Kinda hard to analyze intelligence without access to intelligence which is likely classified.

BTW I held security clearance at age 26. I supervised soldiers in Iraq with access to classified material with ages as young as 18. They operated high output scan & jam systems. They would be incapable of doing their job without access to the classified material on the equipment they were assigned. There is no specific rank or age requirement for classified material.

[rabs]

31. At age 19 I had a Top Secret Codeword U.S. Eyes Only clearance

At the time was assigned to the No Such Agency with only one stripe (Pfc).

Job in our section was to keep an ear attuned to SRF (Soviet Rocket Forces) test launches of ICBMs from missile base near Kazakhstan to Kamchatka impact range. This was before spy satellites and the technology of today. Btw, the ICBM's were HIGHLY accurate.

There were other army, air force and Navy enlisted who had similar clearances, so they should not be unusual in today's military.

As for Manning -- this smacks of psychological torture (total isolation from the outside word), coupled with physical torture (not even allowed to exercise in his cell).

Wonder whether his family is being allowed to see him.

[Roy Rolling]

11. Legal defense

I just donated to his legal defense. There are some things that, if I ignore, I am supporting the other side that perpetuates these injustices. It's a small thing, but at least I can sleep at night knowing I care more than the idiots that think this is how freedom in America is practiced. Here's the link if you want to donate: http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/

[bloomington-lib]

18. There's a good documentary from National Geographic

about the effects of solitary confinement. If you have Netflix here's the link http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/National-Geographic-Solitary-Confinement/70144623?trkid=438403#height1938

[hayu_lol]

26. This is a guy who has put himself in harm's way...

Had his involvement been kept quiet, he could have been placed in normal confinement. The fact that he is, or certainly could be, the target of highly placed individuals who could have him killed in confinement underscores the need to keep him alive...i.e. isolation.

While he has not been on a suicide watch, his lack of sheets/pillowcases is just a precaution. Those in actual charge of his confinement are responsible for keeping him alive.

Consider both the above when protesting his current status.

He cannot get to trial if he is dead.

[lovuian]

25. At this point he can plead insanity after this torture

Their making him an example...but it only shows how scared they are

[Odin2005]

33. Welcome to Fascism, folks.

[TexasObserver]

38. It was bad enough when this stuff happened with a GOP president.

This is further evidence that the president has entirely capitulated to the excesses of the Bush administration. He refuses to do anything which might bring America back to its standing in the world for human rights. He acts as if he's literally terrified to do anything that might alter any of the Bush excesses.

He's done so little with so much given him.

[Rex]

42. Yep, give away nasty secrets about USA and be prepared to get

the 'gitmo' treatment. I could be worse, he could be getting the 'abu graib' treatment! :scared:

[Supply Side Jesus]

43. This is not inhumane

3 hots and a cot, an hour a day for shower/rec... this is not Cool Hand Luke.

The writer has no clue how prisons/detention centers are run. High security 'risk' can and are secluded from general pop, adseg, administrative segregation. Also, his safety needs to be considered before putting him in general pop, a really pissed off inmate or officer can more readily assault him. When he is secluded by himself with limited exposure to others it increases his safety.

I like Glenn alot, but he needs to take it down a notch.

[truedelphi]

44. So here is one small question - how would it

Endanger Manning if he were to be allowed to exercise within the confines of his cell?

Please read the full description of conditions of his day to day life - there appears to be a lot more going on than just keeping him out of the dangers of other inmate contact.

[EFerrari]

45. No, the experts agree with him and not with the Pentagon.

If you get a chance, scan the New Yorker article and the report from the UN Commission that he links to.

[The Midway Rebel]

46. You are correct.

It is not "Cool Hand Luke". It is much more like "Papillon".

"I eat bugs."