Monday, March 7, 2011

Forced to sleep naked soldier accused of leaking documents to WikiLeaks

Washington. .- Bradley Manning, a soldier arrested for allegedly leaked documents to WikiLeaks, was forced to sleep naked in his cell on Wednesday and Thursday, officials acknowledged today the military prison that detained after a complaint by his lawyer. "The soldier Manning was forced to strip naked in his cell again last night.

As the night before, the prison guards forced him to remove all your clothes. Manning then went back to bed and spent the next seven hours humiliated" wrote the suspect's lawyer, David E. Coombs, in his official blog. Manning has been detained in the prison of the Marine Corps in Quantico (Virginia) since June 2010, when he was accused by the military authorities of violating the military code with its alleged leaks to WikiLeaks.

In this first position, facing the soldier to 52 years in prison, were joined on Wednesday 22 more, you face a possible sentence of life imprisonment or even death penalty. According to his lawyer, the decision to sleep naked in his cell was taken by the prison commander, the brigade commander Denise Barnes, and is especially "degrading" because the soldier is monitored both by direct observation and by video cameras, "at all times." Speaking to the New York Times, the prison spokesman, Brian Villiard, acknowledged that the prison authorities had taken the measure, which he defined as "not punitive" and in line with school rules, but would not could give more information.

"It would be inappropriate for me to explain it," said Villiard. "I can confirm that it happened but I can not explain without violating the privacy of the detainee." Coombs, meanwhile, felt that there can be "conceivable justification for requiring a soldier to give all your clothes, stay naked in his cell for seven hours and then get tough with the authorities the next morning." That decision also was made "without consulting any experts in mental health prison," the lawyer said.

It is not the first time Manning Coombs report abuse at the prison in Quantico, which also deprived in many cases of advanced glasses that correct his nearsightedness, according to his account. Amnesty International, meanwhile, denounced the U.S. defense secretary, Robert Gates, the conditions under which the soldier, which the organization is confined 23 hours a day in a cell almost devoid of furniture, without a pillow , bedding or personal possessions.

Manning is in "maximum custody", which means it's hands and ankles shackled, despite no history of violence in prison or had committed disciplinary offenses, according to Amnesty. A defense request, the Government conducted a review of conditions of confinement and decided to soldier on Wednesday withdraw the maximum custodial regime and preventing self-harm, according to Coombs said on its website.

The defense now has ten days to contest the decision, after which the Base Commander at Quantico, Daniel J. Choike, shall conduct a review and submit to the Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus.

1 comment:

  1. I guess if a woman had done the same crime we would not be having this debate????

    ReplyDelete