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Locke Bowman

Locke Bowman

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Update: Soldier Involved in Wikileaks Case Moved to More Humane Prison

Posted: 04/22/11 12:57 PM ET

Earlier this week, I wrote about Private Bradley Manning, the soldier accused of leaking State Department files to Wikileaks, and his ongoing mistreatment at the maximum security brig in Quantico, Virginia.

Just yesterday, Department of Defense Counsel Jeh Johnson announced that Private Manning was being transferred from the Quantico brig, where he has been held in isolation, to the Joint Regional Correctional Facility at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. At Fort Leavenworth, Manning will be permitted to congregate with other detainees, will no longer be deprived of sleep and will have reasonable opportunities for exercise. In a striking example of governmental doublespeak, Johnson's announcement reassured the public that Manning's treatment at Quantico complied with "military and legal standards"--he want so far as to "salute" the Quantico officials in charge of abusing Manning--but explained that the move was "appropriate" because of the length of the anticipated pretrial proceedings in Manning's case.

There's no doubt it would have embarrassed the government again if Manning had the bad manners to lose his mind under prolonged exposure to the regime at Quantico.

 
 
 
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penndl
I am imigination...
10:20 AM on 05/04/2011
It is fairly well known that the Bush administration thought the idea of toying around with torture had some value. It is also known that an American military training facility has been involved in teaching torture tactics, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Hemisphere_Institute_for_Security_Cooperation). The facility denies the accusation. However, in Manning's case I don't think his treatment can be called torture or abusive. Instead what he is experiencing is probably best described as the harshness of an active duty servicemember charged with espionage and confined to a military prison. Every hour of Manning's confinement is recorded in a "duty log". There are Field Manuals which the guards are required by law to comply with concerning prisoner treatment. If there are violations of those manuals why hasn't Manning's lawyer revealed them? The manuals and regulations are available to the public.
01:07 PM on 05/01/2011
I agree that Manning was probably moved so that he'd be mentally competent to stand trial. He's been held in solitary confinement for nearly a year, which has got to do things to one's mind.
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junkiebev
A Pyrrhic Victory beats a Flat Loss
10:09 AM on 04/27/2011
this is a national shame
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mater
mater
02:55 PM on 04/26/2011
So much for "innocent until proven guilty"...
01:09 PM on 05/01/2011
Pres. Obama said the other day that Pfc. Manning broke the law. He's already decided Manning's guilty.
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bushguy
A plague on both your houses
04:03 PM on 04/24/2011
Haven't lost too much sleep over this particular issue.
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mater
mater
02:57 PM on 04/26/2011
Well, perhaps you SHOULD--when one person can have his Constitutional rights taken away, who will be next?
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DougGrinbergs
12:21 AM on 04/23/2011
Except for Kansas reps and senators, it'll certainly make it harder for a congressman to visit, as Rep. Kucinich tried to arrange.