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British diplomats will express with officials in Washington for a second time MPs' concerns about the treatment of a US soldier charged with leaking thousands of sensitive cables to WikiLeaks, the government has confirmed.

Foreign Office minister Henry Bellingham said staff at the British embassy in Washington would discuss Bradley Manning's detention with the US state department.

Bellingham made the promise after Labour MP Ann Clwyd raised the matter in parliament on Monday night.

Clwyd said Manning, who is charged with downloading 250,000 sensitive cables and passing them to WikiLeaks, had been stripped at night and held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day.

His treatment at the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Virginia made it more difficult for the US and Britain to campaign against human rights abuses in other countries, she said.

Clwyd, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on human rights, said that the UK's credibility was at risk in "places where human rights are not nearly so well observed."

She called on the government to offer practical support to the British relatives of Manning.

"I do not want us to get drawn into a discussion of the rights and wrongs of the WikiLeaks revelations. I would like us now to concentrate on the current conditions of detention for Bradley Manning," Clwyd said at the adjournment debate speech.

"Manning's case is important because of the message it sends out to the rest of the world about what kind of treatment the United States thinks is acceptable for people in detention. And, for us, it is important what we say – or what we don't say.

"That matters in places where human rights are not nearly so well observed. People will pay attention in China and in Russia – and in Libya, where we want to be on the side of those fighting for freedom from state repression.

"And most of all in Afghanistan: it matters to those UK and US service personnel fighting in Afghanistan what kind of image Britain and the US have in the world."

Clwyd drew on her experiences during the seven years she spent as special envoy to Iraq on human rights.

"It is my view that some of the greatest damage was caused to British and American efforts in Iraq when the stories of prisoner abuse emerged," she said. "It undermined our moral authority when we needed to explain that we were fighting for a better future for Iraq.

"The United States – and the UK, in the way we respond to actions of the US – needs to preserve that moral authority if we are to have a positive impact on the world and lead by example."

Praising the Guardian's coverage of Manning's treatment in the US, Clwyd said she would be willing to visit the solider if his family asked her to.

"I have read the several accounts of Bradley's treatment which have appeared in the press. Some very good accounts have been in the Guardian, and from David Leigh in particular," she said.

But the account to which she has paid most attention is Bradley's own, in which he complains of "improper treatment" and "unlawful pre-trial punishment".

Clwyd is the only politician to have directly questioned the foreign secretary, William Hague, over the government's position on Manning.

She has sponsored an early day motion calling for the government to raise the case with the US administration. The motion is supported by 37 MPs, including co-sponsors Peter Bottomley, Jeremy Corbyn, Mark Durkan and Paul Flynn.

Hague has previously said the government has not intervened because Manning's lawyer has said the soldier "does not hold a UK passport, nor does he consider himself a UK citizen".

"Our standing on this matter is limited," Hague said during a parliamentary debate last month. "[Manning] is not asking for our help, nor considering himself British."

But Clwyd has called Hague's response a red herring. She points out that Manning's mother, Susan, is Welsh and lives in Pembrokeshire, where Manning lived between the ages of 13 and 17, and she points to calls from Manning's lawyer, David Coombs, for his client's detention status to be changed.

Manning's treatment in the military prison in Quantico, Virginia, "ignores the repeated recommendations of the marine corps' own appointed psychiatrists", Coombs has said. His treatment "serves no purpose other than to humiliate and degrade Bradley Manning. I regard it as cruel and unnecessary."

Human Rights Watch has called on the US government to "explain the precise reasons behind extremely restrictive and possibly punitive and degrading treatment" that Manning alleges he has received.

Amnesty International has said "Manning is being subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. This is particularly disturbing when one considers that he hasn't even been brought to trial, let alone convicted of a crime."

The UN special rapporteur on torture is understood to have raised his concerns with the US administration and is waiting for a response.

Clwyd quoted a recent column written for the Guardian by PJ Crowley, who resigned as spokesman for the US state department after criticising Manning's treatment, in which he repeated his conviction that it was "ridiculous, counterproductive, and stupid".

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Originally posted by canttakesky:
I'm afraid one day I'll turn on the news to hear that Manning has committed "suicide."

The world is an extremely unjust and cruel place.

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Originally posted by Kwicko:
And now we've gone from "it's not torture if we think they're terrorists" to "it's not torture if we think he did something we don't approve of".

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Originally posted by Hardware:
But these are routine conditions in a military prison, with the exception of the protection order.

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Originally posted by canttakesky:

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Originally posted by Hardware:
But these are routine conditions in a military prison, with the exception of the protection order.

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That doesn't make it right.

Torture is torture. Just because torture is routine doesn't mean it's acceptable.

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Originally posted by Hardware:
How, exactly, are you defining torture? What are the torturous conditions Manning is being subject to? Deprivation of cable television???

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Originally posted by canttakesky:
I'm afraid one day I'll turn on the news to hear that Manning has committed "suicide."

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Originally posted by Geezer:
And this is exactly the reason they're keeping a 'suicide watch' on him. If he did manage to kill himself, as he's 'joked' about, a lot of folks wouldn't believe it no matter the evidence.

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A red line brig is what it is, its a brig that has one red line to all functions such as hard cells which where 4foot wide 8foot long and 8 feet tall and to the head and showers and everything was in open view, where the prisoners could be seen 24 hours a day. everywhere you went you stayed on the red line, if you refused to walk the red line you where put in the hard cell 23 hours a day and was only allowed out of the cell for head calls and chow..
if you where awaiting charges such as murder you where handcuffed with waist chains and shackles and was locked in the hard cell 24-7 this i know from experience as i was a prisoner escort at the first red line brig in Gitmo way before gitmo had there new prison...

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Originally posted by Hardware:
so I can't see how you characterize this as solitary confinement.

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http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/12/14/manning

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.

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This brig was so tough the maximum confinement was 30 days....
Within the Butler Building brig was a cage that contained about 16 double bunks. There were two cells for solitary confinement outside the cage, along one bulkhead.

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Originally posted by Hardware:
I'm not saying I agree with him. But I am saying if there's all this furor over military prisons, are you going to cherry pick who you support?

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18 december 2010

A Typical Day for PFC Bradley Manning

PFC Manning is currently being held in maximum custody. Since arriving at the Quantico Confinement Facility in July of 2010, he has been held under Prevention of Injury (POI) watch.

His cell is approximately six feet wide and twelve feet in length.

The cell has a bed, a drinking fountain, and a toilet.

The guards at the confinement facility are professional. At no time have they tried to bully, harass, or embarrass PFC Manning. Given the nature of their job, however, they do not engage in conversation with PFC Manning.

At 5:00 a.m. he is woken up (on weekends, he is allowed to sleep until 7:00 a.m.). Under the rules for the confinement facility, he is not allowed to sleep at anytime between 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. If he attempts to sleep during those hours, he will be made to sit up or stand by the guards.

He is allowed to watch television during the day. The television stations are limited to the basic local stations. His access to the television ranges from 1 to 3 hours on weekdays to 3 to 6 hours on weekends.

He cannot see other inmates from his cell. He can occasionally hear other inmates talk. Due to being a pretrial confinement facility, inmates rarely stay at the facility for any length of time. Currently, there are no other inmates near his cell.

From 7:00 p.m. to 9:20 p.m., he is given correspondence time. He is given access to a pen and paper. He is allowed to write letters to family, friends, and his attorneys.

Each night, during his correspondence time, he is allowed to take a 15 to 20 minute shower.

On weekends and holidays, he is allowed to have approved visitors see him from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m.

He is allowed to receive letters from those on his approved list and from his legal counsel. If he receives a letter from someone not on his approved list, he must sign a rejection form. The letter is then either returned to the sender or destroyed.

He is allowed to have any combination of up to 15 books or magazines. He must request the book or magazine by name. Once the book or magazine has been reviewed by the literary board at the confinement facility, and approved, he is allowed to have someone on his approved list send it to him. The person sending the book or magazine to him must do so through a publisher or an approved distributor such as Amazon. They are not allowed to mail the book or magazine directly to PFC Manning.


Due to being held on Prevention of Injury (POI) watch:

PFC Manning is held in his cell for approximately 23 hours a day.

The guards are required to check on PFC Manning every five minutes by asking him if he is okay. PFC Manning is required to respond in some affirmative manner. At night, if the guards cannot see PFC Manning clearly, because he has a blanket over his head or is curled up towards the wall, they will wake him in order to ensure he is okay.

He receives each of his meals in his cell.

He is not allowed to have a pillow or sheets. However, he is given access to two blankets and has recently been given a new mattress that has a built-in pillow.

He is not allowed to have any personal items in his cell.

He is only allowed to have one book or one magazine at any given time to read in his cell. The book or magazine is taken away from him at the end of the day before he goes to sleep.

He is prevented from exercising in his cell. If he attempts to do push-ups, sit-ups, or any other form of exercise he will be forced to stop.

He does receive one hour of “exercise” outside of his cell daily. He is taken to an empty room and only allowed to walk. PFC Manning normally just walks figure eights in the room for the entire hour. If he indicates that he no long feels like walking, he is immediately returned to his cell.

When PFC Manning goes to sleep, he is required to strip down to his boxer shorts and surrender his clothing to the guards. His clothing is returned to him the next morning.

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Originally posted by Magonsdaughter:
This whole situation demonstrates what an inhumane society the US has become. What do we fight for,isn't that one of the major reasons for Iraq? That the government was inhumane, corrupt and vicious. The last couple of years have demonstrated that the major force that fought there isn't much better.

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Originally posted by Hardware:
Another point that is missed amongst all the hand-wringers and chest beating is that the alternative is putting PFC Manning in general confinement. He would be sharing a cell with 0-24 other prisoners. He would be performing his bodily functions in open view of the other prisoners.

Some of those other prisoners, who may be in for anything from absent without orders to serious crimes may consider him a traitor. In general confinement he may not live to stand a court martial.

I am led to believe, by an e-mail I received from a relative on duty in the Navy, that Quantico has a more strict level of detention than Manning is in.

The more I get to know people the more I like my dogs.

...and he that has no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. Luke 22:36

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Originally posted by Kwicko:

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Originally posted by Magonsdaughter:
This whole situation demonstrates what an inhumane society the US has become. What do we fight for,isn't that one of the major reasons for Iraq? That the government was inhumane, corrupt and vicious. The last couple of years have demonstrated that the major force that fought there isn't much better.

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Indeed.

And "Hardware" here seems more than happy to "just follow orders", doesn't he?

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Originally posted by Bytemite:
Hmm. I would not be surprised if Manning was being treated in the way described. I definitely don't agree with it...

However, I personally have my doubts that his treatment is very unusual, or illegal under US law. From the accounts I hear it's not uncommon for the US judicial system and US military system to turn a blind eye to treatment of prisoners when convenient, even if it means ignoring international law.

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Originally posted by Hardware:
I spoke to a couple of veteran friends of mine today, just to get their take on PFC Manning's treatment. All of them served since 1986. The most common comment was that they were treated worse in boot camp. In boot they were not allowed television, or allowed visitors. Their day was strictly controlled from time to rise, all activities, meals, and training were controlled. They had NO recourse.

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Originally posted by Hardware:
I spoke to a couple of veteran friends of mine today, just to get their take on PFC Manning's treatment. All of them served since 1986. The most common comment was that they were treated worse in boot camp. In boot they were not allowed television, or allowed visitors. Their day was strictly controlled from time to rise, all activities, meals, and training were controlled. They had NO recourse.

One of them worked in the Army JAG office. She confirmed that Manning is probably going to be in isolation for his whole prison sentence. That's a when, not an if, as Manning already admitted releasing documents to Wikileaks. He is going to be under close supervision because putting him in general detention is a death sentence. The rank and file of the Army considers him a traitor that may have contributed to other soldiers dying.

The more I get to know people the more I like my dogs.

...and he that has no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. Luke 22:36

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Originally posted by Kwicko:

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Originally posted by canttakesky:
I'm afraid one day I'll turn on the news to hear that Manning has committed "suicide."

The world is an extremely unjust and cruel place.

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Probably happen the day after Assange does the same.


And now we've gone from "it's not torture if we think they're terrorists" to "it's not torture if we think he did something we don't approve of".

And the Tea Party, that "bastion of libertarianism", has expressed zero outrage.

As I pointed out in another thread, there ARE true libertarians here. CTS comes to mind. A few others.

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Originally posted by Magonsdaughter:
I thought the idea was that you were innocent until proven guilty, via a trial. If you have to be held in remand, its because you might be a danger to others or skip the country. That if you held pending a trial, that the trial be timely. That if you are sentenced, that your punishment be the loss of liberty and personal freedoms for the period deemed appropriate.

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Being stripped and humiliated, kept in solitary for lengthy periods of time, sleep deprivation, prevented from having contact with the outside world are all inhumane, and most of these would constitute torture.

Why is he even in prison?

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I felt that as an American citizen, as a responsible citizen, I could no longer cooperate in concealing this information from the American public. I did this clearly at my own jeopardy and I am prepared to answer to all the consequences of this decision.
— Ellsberg on why he released the Pentagon Papers to the press

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Originally posted by Hardware:
Now, unless Salon has some top-secret information that PFC Manning's attorney doesn't, I take it you'll accept this information?

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Originally posted by AURaptor:
Most Americans have no idea who Manning is, and couldn't care less.

"Bradley ? Is he related to Payton? "




" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Originally posted by Hardware:

Again, all these concepts of "rights" you keep referring to are concepts that apply to civilian justice.

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Originally posted by Hardware:
And you are over-dramatizing his situation to suit your ends. If he is put into general detention with other prisoners and he is murdered the liberal media will rail at the injustice. If he is placed in isolated detention you rail against the injustice. Which one do you want? A dead PFC Manning or a live one?

Not solitary. In solitary confinement he has no contact at all. PFC Manning's guards communicate with him every 5 minutes. But I suppose you find the lack of privacy torturous too.

The more I get to know people the more I like my dogs.

...and he that has no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. Luke 22:36

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Originally posted by Hardware:
And you are over-dramatizing his situation to suit your ends.

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http://www.solitaryconfinement.org/uploads/Istanbul_expert_statement_o
n_sc.pdf

Definition
Solitary confinement is the physical isolation of individuals who are confined to their cells for twenty-two to twenty-four hours a day. In many jurisdictions prisoners are allowed out of their cells for one hour of solitary exercise. Meaningful contact with other people is typically reduced to a minimum. The reduction in stimuli is not only quantitative but also qualitative. The available stimuli and the occasional social contacts are seldom freely chosen, are generally monotonous, and are often not empathetic.

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Originally posted by Hardware:
Which one do you want? A dead PFC Manning or a live one?

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Originally posted by AURaptor:
Most Americans have no idea who Manning is, and couldn't care less.

"Bradley ? Is he related to Payton? "




" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Originally posted by Geezer:

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Originally posted by canttakesky:
I'm afraid one day I'll turn on the news to hear that Manning has committed "suicide."

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And this is exactly the reason they're keeping a 'suicide watch' on him. If he did manage to kill himself, as he's 'joked' about, a lot of folks wouldn't believe it no matter the evidence.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Originally posted by Hardware:
CTS,
Please, go read the website of PFC Manning's lawyer.

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Yet, the defense has filed motions that even they admit in their blog, will greatly extend the time to take the case to a court.

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The lawyer doesn't have a issue with the general state of Manning's detention, only specific issues.

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Originally posted by Hardware:
The alternative being putting him in general detention.

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Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
I don't imagine they would have gotten involved with the military if they didn't believe in some idea of "defending the nation from threats."

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