Julian Assange: Bradley Manning Is A 'Political Prisoner' (VIDEO)

Despite claiming he had never met Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange jumped to the jailed U.S. Army intelligence analyst's defense in an interview with Cenk Uygur on MSNBC.

While discussing Manning -- who is said to have provided WikiLeaks with access to the confidential documents which continue to emerge online -- Assange responded, "If we are to believe the allegations, then this man [is] a political prisoner in the United States." On reports that Manning is being kept in solitary confinement with limited access to exercise and even sleep, Assange went on to note, "He's been a political prisoner without trial...this is serious business."

Currently being kept on house arrest in England, where a court battle is being waged over rape charges filed by two Swedish women, Assange also shot back at critics such as Joe Biden, who called the WikiLeaks founder a "high-tech terrorist," and Sarah Palin, who suggested Assange be pursued with the same urgency as al Qaeda.

"It's clear that whoever the terrorists are here, it's not us," Assange said, calling the growing U.S. case against him "arguably unconstitutional." He then added, "All members of the press and all the American people who believe in freedom and the good founding principles of the Revolutionary fathers have got to pull together and resist this attack on the First Amendment."

Watch the full interview here:

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Comments

[J.C. Convery]

05:43 PM on 12/28/2010

No, Bradley Manning is a criminal and deserves to be in prison. I hope not for the rest of his life but he probably deserves about 20 years and sadly military imprisonment is generally hard labor. If Brad had an issue with the service then he should have left it and voiced his concerns as a civilian. Then again he would have never have obtained his 15 minutes of fame. Seems like rather a poor choice on his part ..20 years of hard labor for 15 minutes of fame. With judgement like that I'm happy he's no longer on active duty.

[oldetripreal]

03:15 AM on 12/27/2010

How Julian Assange ( Editor-in-chief and spokesperson for WikiLeaks ) will end

http://olderime.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/how-julian-assange-editor-in-chief-and-spokesperson-for-wikileaks-will-end/

[Peaceful Patrtot]

01:50 PM on 12/24/2010

Julian is very articulate in expressing his defense. He understands the meaning of the free press and the value of uncovering hidden wrong doing and the apparent demise of the rule of law and the expressions of extremist's who do not understand the rule of law. He is a true journalist and I admire him.

[Mary Hecht]

05:12 PM on 12/24/2010

i completely agree, nice to see that there are other intelligent people out there who can spot a good guy

[Schweik]

12:35 PM on 12/24/2010

Singing:
Prisoners of love
Blue skies above
Can't keep our hearts in jail

Prisoners of love
Our turtle doves
Soon coming 'round with bail

Oh, You can lock us up
and lose the key
But trai-trors are always freeeeeeeee!

MAX BIalostock :Take it home, boys. We open in Leavenworth Saturday night

[Michael Ludin]

11:40 AM on 12/24/2010

who really knows. Maybe "W" or even Bama declassified all this info for a second, and then classified it again just to embarrass --- someone

[Schweik]

12:47 PM on 12/24/2010

Obviously a joke, but unfortunately there are plenty of people who would take such rigmarole seriously.

[katatonic]

03:19 AM on 12/24/2010

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40797738/ns/us_news-wikileaks_in_security/

huffpo post this!

[tiredofpc]

10:52 PM on 12/23/2010

Bradley Manning is a 19 year old male, a member of the US military, which means he raised his hand and took an oath. It also means he can and will be prosecuted for his many UCMJ infractions. He is in solitary which is where he belongs.

[Yank in France]

05:00 AM on 12/24/2010

I agree with you 100%, except the part about solitary confinement.

Given his sweet face and soft skin, I am sure there are plenty of grizzly prisoners who would really like to get to "know" him...

[SusanElizabeth1949]

11:33 PM on 12/24/2010

Which is probably why he IS in solitary.

[29bela]

11:30 AM on 12/25/2010

It is sick that something like that is possible under government watch!!! Is prison anarchy headquarters or what? Who is supporting it and why? Otherwise it will be not there. Why is society tolerating it?

Before you approve anything so sick, please try to put yourself in these peoples life, you may change your view.

These kid (yes, he is kid in my view) has peoples rights at heart (lives too), he is one of the small amount of young people who truly care about world (less about manipulators of ours) and we should not act like cowards, because that what we are!

He comes for our deffense and we cowardly duck behind his back.

Merry Christmas Christians.

[Schweik]

12:49 PM on 12/24/2010

Word, tiredPC!
Fanned and faved.

[Hiqutipie]

10:21 PM on 12/23/2010

This is still the US, where is his attorney? I heard someone rep him that sounded like a public defender aka for inadequate representation which he obviously has.

The Wikileaks Task Force...WTF... Has you covered Assange...

[29bela]

11:32 AM on 12/25/2010

Yes! Where is he???

[LogicJack]

09:01 PM on 12/23/2010

Many seem to think Assanni or manning can be tried for treason. You ruin your argument with that. Assanni is not an American Citizen and under the Law Manning did not commit treason.

Oran's Dictionary of the Law (1983) defines treason as "...[a]...citizen's actions to help a foreign government overthrow, make war against, or seriously injure the [parent nation]." In many nations, it is also often considered treason to attempt or conspire to overthrow the government, even if no foreign country is aided or involved by such an endeavour.

Manning probably will be tried under the many violation of the UCMJ not the least of which will be decimating Classified infomation for the purpose of harming the US Military and the United States. He will probably get anywhere from 30 years to life in a Federal Prison, no not the Country Club ones either. He does deserve every year he gets in my opinion.

[LogicJack]

08:58 PM on 12/23/2010

Many seem to think Asss or manning can be tried for treason. You ruin your argument with that. Ass is not an American Citizen and under the Law Manning did not commit treason.

Oran's Dictionary of the Law (1983) defines treason as "...[a]...citizen's actions to help a foreign government overthrow, make war against, or seriously injure the [parent nation]." In many nations, it is also often considered treason to attempt or conspire to overthrow the government, even if no foreign country is aided or involved by such an endeavour.

Manning probably will be tried under the many violation of the UCMJ not the least of which will be decimating Classified infomation for the purpose of harming the US Military and the United States. He will probably get anywhere from 30 years to life in a Federal Prison, no not the Country Club ones either. He deserve every year he get in my opinion.

[ivan kovac]

08:46 PM on 12/23/2010

....and I'm Santa Claus.

[CrzyRussell]

08:45 PM on 12/23/2010

He sold the info for $3500

hardly a whistle blower

[29bela]

11:33 AM on 12/25/2010

Any proof?

[joeMet]

07:58 PM on 12/23/2010

So that's what actual treason is now. You steal your country's top secret information, disseminate it, get hauled in for it, and now you're a "political prisoner" like Aung San Suu Kyi or someone.

[29bela]

11:34 AM on 12/25/2010

Country wealth, country secrets... whom do they belong too?

[ForemostPanda]

07:28 PM on 12/23/2010

that can't be a suprise to anyone. manning is a traitor and that's makes assange an enemy agent. If the progressives but the political prisoner, it exonerates the criminal assange.

[netzwerg]

06:54 PM on 12/23/2010

Boycott US goods!

[Ralphiec88]

07:51 PM on 12/23/2010

Why?

[ivan kovac]

08:47 PM on 12/23/2010

What goods? To tell you the truth I don't know what USA produces anymore. Everything says 'Made in China'.

[Dham4201]

04:31 PM on 12/24/2010

F22s, aircraft carriers, Strykers, Predators, etc.