LAT Editorial - Soldier's (Bradley Manning) inhumane imprisonment

[kpete]

Editorial
Soldier's inhumane imprisonment
For five months, Pfc. Bradley Manning is confined to his cell for 23 hours a day, with no sheets and without exercise, while he awaits trial on charges of providing documents to WikiLeaks.

Pfc. Bradley Manning, the 23-year-old Army intelligence analyst suspected of providing documents to WikiLeaks, can't reasonably complain that the military has him in custody. But the conditions under which he is being held at the Marine detention center at Quantico, Va., are so harsh as to suggest he is being punished for conduct of which he hasn't been convicted.

Manning has been charged with unlawfully downloading classified information and transmitting it "with reason to believe that the information could cause injury to the United States." He has been incarcerated at Quantico for five months and has yet to receive the military equivalent of a preliminary hearing.

Nevertheless, Manning is in "maximum custody." Also, under a "Protection of Injury" order, he is confined to his cell for 23 hours a day, even though his lawyer says a psychologist has determined he isn't a threat to himself. His lawyer also says that Manning is denied sheets and is unable to exercise in his cell, and that he is not allowed to sleep between 5 a.m. and 8 p.m. If he attempts to sleep during those hours, he is made to sit up or stand by his guards.

more:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-manning-20110110,0,3558552.story

[TomClash]

1. Big Rec

Universal Human Rights are not idled because we elected Barack Obama is President.

[soryang]

2. Why no mention of the undue length of pretrial detention?

Has his attorney filed a speedy trial motion? Has he filed a motion to dismiss? Is he going to?

A brief on the right to speedy trial was posted on his attorney's web site on Jan. 3 entitled Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Speedy Trial next to a clock showing the exact amount of time of Bradley Manning's overly long pretrial detention.


http://www.armycourtmartialdefense.info/2011/01/motion-to-dismiss-for-lack-of-speedy.html