The 22 year-old U.S. Army Private accused of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks has never been convicted of that crime, and yet he has spent seven months in solitary confinement under horrific conditions.
Manning has spent the last five months detained at the U.S. Marine brig in Quantico, Virginia—before that he spent two months in a military jail in Kuwait, all the while facing conditions that constitute cruel and inhumane treatment and even torture. Manning was charged with the unauthorized use and disclosure of U.S. classified information.
In an article for Salon, Glenn Greenwald reports that interviews with several sources familiar with the conditions of Manning’s detention, including Lt. Brian Villiard, a Quantico brig Officer, confirmed that the accused leaker is subject to detention conditions likely to create long-term psychological injuries.
Since his arrest in May, Manning has been held in solitary confinement for 23 out of 24 hours a day—seven months straight. Manning’s activities have been heavily restricted—he is denied the right to exercise in his cell. He is denied a pillow and sheets. In what seems to be punishment straight out of a Nazi horror movie, medical personal administer anti-depressants to Manning to prevent his brain from snapping from the debilitating effects of the isolation.
Greenwald cites a March, 2010 article in The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law which explains that “solitary confinement is recognized as difficult to withstand; indeed, psychological stressors such as isolation can be as clinically distressing as physical torture.” The same report states: “Psychological effects [of isolation] can include anxiety, depression, anger, cognitive disturbances, perceptual distortions, obsessive thoughts, paranoia, and psychosis.”
Greenwald also cites an article by surgeon Atul Gawande entitled “Is Long Term-Solitary Confinement Torture?” In it, is a study of 150 naval aviators returned from imprisonment in Vietnam. The report found “social isolation to be as torturous and agonizing as any physical abuse they suffered.”
The U.S. government, the same government that vowed to end detainee abuse, is subjecting Manning to conditions specifically aimed to drive him insane.
Greenwald holds no bones when pointing the finger at the U.S. government for the egregious hypocrisy and human rights violations:
“These inhumane conditions make a mockery of Barack Obama’s repeated pledge to end detainee abuse and torture, as prolonged isolation — exacerbated by these other deprivations — is at least as damaging, as violative of international legal standards, and almost as reviled around the world, as the waterboard, hypothermia and other Bush-era tactics that caused so much controversy.”
Julian Assange has spent just under two weeks in solitary confinement for a (probably) trumped-up rape charge, awaiting a challenge by the Swedish government on his recent bail decision.
Assange has been lauded a hero and suggested as Time’s “Person of the Year.” While there is no doubt that he deserves the accolades, the real hero, who has been highly ignored by media, sits in a cell for 23 hours a day, confined by the very government he hoped to change for the better.
December 16, 2010 at 12:41 am, Anonymous said:
hero? more like a traitor. He put hundreds of informants at risk in Afghanistan and Pakistan. A hero doesn't risk innocent lives and betray the government he works for. He is a soldier. He took an oath to bear allegiance to his military and country, not to work against it.
December 16, 2010 at 1:20 am, Anonymous said:
So at what point can that “oath to bear allegiance to his military and country” be broken? From the sounds of it, you seem to think it should always be respected. What if (hypothetically) his military and country were doing terrible things – things he was absolutely against – are you saying that shouldn't matter? Should a soldier rape and torture if told to by the government? Would you still say “he is a soldier, he took an oath…” at that point? (Note: not saying this is what was happening, but just wondering how far you think this oath should go).
At some point, the obviously realized he had to stand up and do something about what he saw the military doing, and he did just that. That took an incredible amount of courage – that may be a betrayal, but you must consider what exactly is being betrayed.
December 16, 2010 at 7:32 pm, gloomndoom said:
So far, reports are that no one was put at serious risk. Governments were embarrassed, the U.S. the least.
Regardless of whether this young man is a criminal of some kind or not, there is no excuse for inhumane treatment. We are supposed to be better than that, and we claim we are to the rest of the world on a daily basis. Revenge treatment by authorities is never acceptable, for any reason.
December 18, 2010 at 4:22 am, Mistygrizzle said:
you must be one of those who they have brainwashed too…please people like you are the reason we still at war!!!
December 18, 2010 at 6:42 pm, Robert Timsah said:
Given the Patriot Act and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (which were declared without a true declaration of war) and the numerous hidden nefarious activities uncovered by WikiLeaks, who's the traitor? Manning or the Government?
December 16, 2010 at 12:51 am, mulout said:
If the Army actually wanted to improve Manning's mental or physical condition they would move him out of solitary, so the 'injections', whatever they are, must be for some other reason. Sounds like they either want him to forget something, or, 'remember' something that didn't happen. The question is, What? What's going on here?
December 17, 2010 at 5:52 pm, RaynaMackey said:
brainwashing.
December 18, 2010 at 10:04 am, buck said:
Yes you are right the government is brainwashing the young PVT! You are really on to something here, maybe they are brainwashing you into thinking they are brainwashing the military! And for Mulout how can giving a drug make you remember something that didnt happen? You actually had to do something in order to remember it. I love how all you people are jumping at the Government for treating this guy like a traitor that sold our nations secrets. Oh wait he is a traitor! Oh and for your information people are usually put into solitary confinement for their own protection, and usually in long term cases like this one, on their own accord. So before anyone goes jumping off the deep end, maybe you should get more than one side of a story before you go making conclusions.
December 16, 2010 at 7:22 am, Kika45er said:
is our own government so desesperate to keep playing his production that they are turning againts the man that once they celebrate for defending his honor and his country is becoming something quite funny to see how this country use a double moral standard when they feel is need it to protect his image his perfect image as the leader of the world a total joke and very embarrasing turning against his own people.Is a shame that obama has not say or do anything i guess he is afraid of looking bad and the end of the day few politicians have sacrificed doing the right ,most of them are more concerned about looking good than making real changes.
December 16, 2010 at 1:28 pm, Skeewiz said:
Well, I guess it is time the people take back their government.
December 16, 2010 at 1:31 pm, Beebop said:
I hope that he spends the rest of his life there.
December 17, 2010 at 7:04 am, Oleg said:
why? he opened eyes to many of us, how us government operates and what's going on inside. he is a hero!
December 18, 2010 at 1:15 pm, Thor said:
He's a traitor, plain and simple. He was told when he received his security clearance that this would happen if he ever violated it and he did. No sympathy. He's getting what he deserves.
December 16, 2010 at 2:36 pm, Deb Shaw said:
What is the point of having a constitution if those who pledge to uphold it are not held accountable for their actions? Every federal official is a criminal and a traitor as long as they allow Bradley Manning to be imprisoned for exercising his freedom of speech under that constitution. Impeach them all, starting with the president. This is sickening.
December 18, 2010 at 10:05 am, Buck said:
You don't get freedom of speech when you are privy to National secrets….
December 16, 2010 at 5:31 pm, Shannon Baxley said:
I know, I know it's hard to remember we're the good guys, right?
December 16, 2010 at 6:59 pm, Mike From Cali said:
put informants at risk ? you people need to wake up we are in the biz to rape and pillage and take control of resources no weapons of mass destruction just death and money gained by letting this fake war go on for 9 years !!!! we lost just like vietnam….
December 16, 2010 at 7:56 pm, ari said:
i've got a love hate feeling with this whole situation. seems like we're punishing the wrong people..and yet the gov't doesn't want to to tell us the truth about many many things going on.
honestly, i couldn't pick a side if i wanted too..it all seems to shady to me! i was convinced that if you were in the military you give up your right of free speech..you basically have to do and say everything you are told by those above you. another thing..isn't what manning did treason?! in the old days, wouldn't he have been shot and killed right then and there?!
i hope this whole situation is put to rest real soon. we have too many ppl at risk.
December 17, 2010 at 5:43 pm, RaynaMackey said:
It's totally a different situation. The governments of the world are straight out lying to us. If you see someone being bullied, do you sit back and watch? Or do you get up and DO SOMETHING?! Unfortunately, Americans are SO easily submissive, ready to just sit back and watch what outcome occurs (then we take sides; you know, the winner's side). So Unfortunate. Seeing as what we are founded on and all that blah blah blah. We just see it as ancient history, when actually it was merely 300 something odd years ago?
Basically, if you want to see the “whole situation put to rest” you CANNOT and MUST NOT let anyone but you determine the outcome. WE are the people, and WE must make the choice, the difference, and use our Freedom. Just because you are a soldier DOES NOT make you a slave.
Besides that, he is most likely a guinea pig being brutally tortured because our government doesn't really know “who's who” in this whole business.
December 17, 2010 at 5:33 pm, Anonymous said:
He is the hero of the lower class in this country, we must get him freed. Whatever it takes.
December 18, 2010 at 1:18 pm, Thor said:
Hero? Bwahahahahaha! He knew the risks of violating his security clearance and did it anyway. If someone breaks the law, they go to jail. He broke the military law (the UCMJ). He's in jail. End of story.
December 19, 2010 at 5:30 am, newcritic said:
How utterly simple can you get?
December 17, 2010 at 7:00 pm, Étienne Gagné said:
Americans should be ashamed of treating one of their own citizens like that. Poor guy, at 22 yo it's still closer to a teenager than an adult. Suffering like that is plain vengeance on the part of the American government that should supposedly defend Freedom and Peace. Bring me your tired your poors and your hungry, but don't leak else you will be treated worse than a rabbid dog. At least the dog would be put out of his misery, not tortured. Is that the american dream or what? (that's sarcasm btw)
December 17, 2010 at 7:23 pm, A. said:
See what you have done, Adrian Lamo? If there are any traitors here, that's him.
December 17, 2010 at 11:19 pm, guest said:
You are all crazy, paranoid conspiracy theorists. There is no mention that he is being denied legal counsel or that he's not being granted the right to a fair trial. He's locked in a cell by himself so that he doesn't get killed by the other inmates. I don't know why anyone expects prison to be hugs and lollipops.
December 18, 2010 at 4:24 am, idgaf said:
where do we start helping free this young man???
December 20, 2010 at 9:52 am, Igaf said:
Uh, we don't. He admitted his part, and has irreparably harmed this country and put its citizens at risk. He deserves death.
December 18, 2010 at 10:16 am, Buck said:
I like how the headline of this article is “Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks Leaker, Tortured By U.S.” To me if you are going to make allegations like that, you might want to have proof, otherwise you just look like an idiot when you are proven wrong. If this kid really did leak the cables and jeopardize our national security then he needs to be treated as a traitor and punished accordingly. Oh and solitary confinement in long term cases such as this one are usually asked for by the inmate for his/her own protection. Don't worry if this kid was wrongly imprisoned or done wrong I'm positive there's going to be a huge legal battle in the aftermath. Nowhere in this article is there hard proof of any sort of torture, just allegations that his conditions “might” cause long term effects. For example how can you compare PVT Manning's conditions to those from Veitnam? Everyone knows that the living conditions were worse and those prisioners were always concerned about what was going to happen to them and thier friends. Manning doens't have to live in constant fear that someone is going to come into his cell in the middle of the night and drive bamboo shoots under his fingernails to get him to talk.
December 18, 2010 at 11:12 am, Andrew Soutter said:
American government = completely lost its morals, values and ethics.
December 18, 2010 at 4:07 pm, John q said:
Times have surely changed. People who should be in jail occupy exalted positions of power. We literally worship this criminal elite. Those who are trying to really open our eyes to official treachery, crime, pillage and plunder are being persecuted and prosecuted. One ex- US President has literally confessed on TV and in writing to approving waterboarding (not to mention other forms of torture which would have found no problem with).
I ask you idiotic Americans who are so hopelessly brainwashed – Who will go after Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld et al? Obama? Certainly no one in the US. Hopefully one day they will answer at the International Criminal Court – but even that may not be possible. This criminal elite appears to control everything…from the food that gets to your table to what you see on TV to how justice is dispensed. Example – Eric Holder will propose the creation of a law to RETROACTIVELY charge Assange. And the truly bizzare coming idiotic Us politicians: Try an Australian citizen for treason in the US!
December 20, 2010 at 9:50 am, Emma said:
His attempt to “enlighten” us has put thousands upon thousands of soldiers at even greater risk. It's common knowledge that our politicians are a corrupt group. He chose to endanger innocent people for it.
December 20, 2010 at 1:13 pm, John q said:
Bradley Manning did not send your soldiers off to wars based on lies. Bush and Obama did so. They have been coming home in body-bags for the last nine years with OFFICIALLY BANNED MEDIA EXPOSURE. Ask yourself why….
He is trying to save lives as he appears to have a conscience. This is lie-telling vs truth-telling. You acknowledge your politicians are corrupt. Are they NOT lying when they claim that soldiers' and informants' lives are put at risk when they are trying to re-seal a can of worms and kill a messenger?
They have no conscience and they will continue to sacrifice, not only soldiers lives, but innocents everywhere – including on US soil to achieve THEIR TERRORIST OBJECTIVES – CONTROLLING US BY, AND WITH FEAR! Isn't that what terrorism does? But they have been going much beyond that – stealing trillions in the process! And we still enable them!
What is it you people don't seem to get?
December 18, 2010 at 4:30 pm, NoB said:
Bank of America must go down
December 18, 2010 at 9:29 pm, Central Scrutinizer said:
This article is a set of conclusions based on limited evidence and assumptions. If Joe Weber shifts from left to write, he could go work for Fox. If this represents his work accurately, he is that mediocre.
There is an accusation of inhumane treatment. There also a lack of critical thinking. A man is kept in his cell for 23 hours, so is every maximum security prisoner in the US, under a condition of lock down. That is all that was confirmed. Then there is a collection of assumptions and insinuation. This conditional will create psychological trauma – an assumption made by the author, loosely tied to prior statements made by the Journalist Greenwald in an editorial piece for Salon. Multiple sources? Not really. Many references to Greenwald's sources. Why not just offer a link to the Op ed piece and leave it at that. Then there is argument by analogy presented as fact. Lazy, lazy, lazy blogger. There is an assumption that Maning cannot speak with prisoners in neighboring cells- that is not corroborated. There is an assumption that his hour out of his cell offers no exercise- there is no corroboration. See more preconceived assumptions in the comment section. One group of people wants to see this foolish and dishonest 22 year man shot, another wants to put him up on a pedestal and call him a hero. Are there no other alternatives than these absurd extremes?
I have an opinion too. Hero? Doubtful. Self-important mal-adjusted adolescent- probably. He leaked the maximum amount of information he could get his hands on. Because all of the information proved unjust actions? No. Because he couldn't stop leaking secrets because it made him feel important… I find that most likely. Did the US Military fail to maintain security because they are overconfident in the effectiveness of their training, and unable to see a immature 22 year old with identity issues as a potential security risk? I think the answer to that question is pretty obvious!
If the one helicopter attack was not being investigated, and injustices were not being addressed, then this Private might see a order to maintain secrecy as an immoral order. Under the US Uniform Code of Military Justice, he would have a defense for his actions. He'd be charged with a crime, but that's just. You can't betray your country or military orders without answering for your actions, and a charge is not a conviction. No one has the right to violate laws, with impunity- without facing trial. But there is actually a positive defense for refusing immoral orders. He could prove his innocence, and the release of that particular piece of information was to defend his nations honor. He might have a defense, in that one instance only… then there is the other 200,000+ releases of material. Can this young man explain the moral conflict that lead him to release those pieces of information?
The assertion that the release of thousands diplomatic cables, unrelated to military is somehow in opposition to an immoral act, is highly suspect. Accepting that assertion simply indicates that a person holds anti-US beliefs, and has no interest in evidence, facts, or circumstances of the case. The US is a big country and all diplomatic, military, and cultural efforts made by the US do not comprise one giant monolith. Sounds like Private Manning fell into that trap, he became a bit of a misanthrope and rejected everything he knows. (Where the hell was his supervisor?)
Still, describing the all actions made by the US government as simply a litany of horrors is as ignorant as one who might declare, “My country right or wrong.” Why not just say, “American Government… I assume your wrong and will reject any evidence to the contrary.”
With regard to the wars, Yes, innocents are killed by the military, as are enemies and comrades. Put an incredibly powerful array of weapons in the hands of thousands of people in intensely stressful environments and cultures that are alien to many of those involved and atrocity is a routine result in every conflict. This is not a formula that is limited to any one country. Once we understand that many of those acts are not the product of maliciousness, then we will begin to accept that seeing military action only as a last resort is wise and humane, and not a sign of weakness of will. There aren't any good wars. There are only wars that must be avoided, and those that can't be avoided. Almost all war belongs in the first category.
December 19, 2010 at 8:07 am, Rupert said:
I think the efforts in destabilising Manning's mental capacity is appalling – regardless of whether or not there was any contact between Bradley and Julian is quite clearly an erroneous focal point, and the 'torture' of extreme isolation and deprivation of a human being's essential right to freedoms here has proven that the American government is a heartless machine whose primary directive is one of kicking cats and ethical distortion.
December 19, 2010 at 2:06 pm, guest said:
Wikileaks is designed to be anonymus. Manning didn't have to divulge that it was him. He chose to publicly come out as the guy that did it. Big mistake.
December 20, 2010 at 3:56 am, Sugar said:
Oh bullshit. I'm sure the man is being treated a lot better than those in our state prisons. He committed a crime, thus will be punished. I don't think that he should and/or will be executed, but to accuse the military of torture against him for being in solitary confinement, then I want to see your articles about the thousands of US prisoners that are being held in solitary confinement across the USA. Military and civilians have different laws — our military isn't a joke.
December 21, 2010 at 11:10 pm, Mitchel Leavitt said:
I honestly do not care what happens to him. I don't care if they waterboard him, flog him, or give him a cellmate that has his way with him daily. This article is laughable at best, and pathetic at the least. LMAO at referring to Manning as “the real hero.” You know who “the real hero” is? The real hero is the 20 year old humping a rifle in the mountains of Afghanistan, not this punk Manning who betrayed his own country and fellow soldiers. Screw him, I hope he dies in solitary.
December 22, 2010 at 4:25 pm, JQ said:
What is truly pathetic are your asinine comments. The “real” hero in YOUR eyes, is Bush – followed by Obama who have been “humping” the likes of you and your fellow sheepish, brainwashed Americans. Irony is, you guys seem to be never satisfied with the perpetual humping!
What is the US doing after nine years in Afganistan? Looking for a ghost? The opium trade has been flourishing since the invasion. The pipelines and US military bases are in place. Karzai and his corrupt brother, The Taliban are in a symbiotic relationship with a country that is far more corrupt than most people can fathom – the United States of America.
Bush et al, are the ones that have betrayed their own country. THEY should be tried for treason, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Obama preached HOPE. The world had the audacity to hope that things will change…including Bradley Manning. Obama is conspicuously silent on the issue!
December 22, 2010 at 4:55 pm, Soldier said:
I agree with the rabbid dog reference – he should be put out of his misery. Come on, he is a traitor in a time of war and while on the battle field.
January 04, 2011 at 11:09 pm, wigstand said:
And then there are those who say Manning is a fictional character invented by U.S. intelligence.. GO WIKILEAKS!
March 14, 2011 at 1:30 am, Dan said:
Can’t believe these comments, this loser is a TRAITOR that deserves to spend the rest of his life in jail!!!…