Save human rights whistleblower Bradley Manning!

Accused WikiLeaks whistleblower and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Bradley Manning will spend the rest of his life in prison for telling the public the truth, if US officials get their way. Government conduct, apparently aimed at discouraging whistle-blowers, has ignored due process and made a fair trial impossible. But, in the past, outrageous government conduct has led judges to dismiss the charges against whistle-blowers. Tell the judge in Bradley’s military Court Martial to do the same!

Bradley was held in pre-trial solitary confinement for 11 months, in conditions condemned by the UN Rapporteur on Torture as “cruel, inhuman and degrading,” including being stripped and made to stand naked at roll call. This was a clear violation of the US military’s Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ: Article 13). Yet, only worldwide outrage—including over 500,000 Avaaz members signing a petition—ended this illegal treatment.
Both President Obama and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dempsey have declared publicly, prior to trial, that Bradley “broke the law.” Their statements make a mockery of presumption of innocence and have prejudiced the proceedings with Unlawful Command Influence (UCMJ: Article 37).
Article 10 of the UCMJ promises defendants a speedy trial. However, Bradley was imprisoned for nearly two years before his pretrial proceedings even began, and his court-martial trial has yet to start.
The prosecution has withheld key evidence which the defense believes will show that Bradley’s alleged actions have not damaged US national security. And there is clear evidence that the leaks were motivated entirely by conscience. Yet the military says that Bradley’s intention should not even be considered by the court, and that he should be convicted of ‘Aiding the Enemy’ and sentenced to life in prison, regardless of any moral motive, lack of harm, or overwhelmingly positive results of the disclosures. Against all Justice, this would make any kind of whistle-blower defense impossible.

Call on Judge Lind to acknowledge the outrageous government conduct in Bradley’s case, and dismiss the charges against him, and tell President Obama to pardon him in the event of any conviction!

The information released has helped inform public understanding of the realities of the War on Terror, and revealed governmental and corporate corruption and collusion. It has contributed to the ending of the Iraq War and to positive people-power movements such as the Tunisian Revolution and the Occupy Movement. Tens of thousands of regular citizens worldwide have supported Bradley and funded his legal defense (See: www.bradleymanning.org). It is time for US officials to stop obstructing democracy and free Bradley Manning!

Sincerely,
Daniel Ellsberg, Pentagon Papers whistleblower
Center for Constitutional Rights
Bradley Manning Support Network