Pentagon says Bradley Manning's treatment is all legal

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning

/ AP/Grpahics Bank

The Pentagon is responding with specific denials to some of the claims from those opposed to the treatment of accused Wikileaks leaker Pfc. Bradley Manning.

Manning's treatment has been reviewed by the General Counsels of the Department of Defense, Navy and Marine Corps and found to be legal, according to the Pentagon. They say he is being treated the same as any other maximum security prisoner on Prevention of Injury watch would be.

Manning has been held in restrictive conditions at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va. since July 2010, and some have questioned his treatment, as well as why legal proceedings against him have taken so long to begin. Earlier this month, the Army filed 22 new charges against Manning and for the first time formally accused Manning of aiding the enemy.

Following news that Manning was being forced to sleep without clothes in his cell, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) charged that the miilitary's treatment of Manning is comparable to the abuse carried out at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

The Pentagon now says that Manning's underwear was taken away from him at night after he said that if he wanted to kill himself he could use the elastic waistband on his underpants. He now wears a "tear proof garment" and does have blankets and a pillow.

The Pentagon does not dispute the claim from Manning's attorney that a psychologist has determined Manning not to be a suicide risk but says the decision on whether to put Manning on Prevention of Injury watch is up to the brig commander, not the psychologist. The brig commander is the one responsible for making sure nothing happens to him.

Manning's attorney David Coombs wrote in his blog that "the decision to strip PFC Manning of his clothing every night for an indefinite period of time is clearly punitive in nature," given the fact that Manning remains on Prevention of Injury watch but has not been placed on Suicide Risk Watch, which requires the Brig psychiatrist's recommendation.

The Pentagon additionally denies that Manning is not allowed to talk to prisoners in other cells and denies that Manning is only allowed to walk in circles during his one hour of exercise. He is allowed to talk to other prisoners - as long as it's not disruptive - and he is allowed to use exercise equipment if he wants to. Because he remains on Prevention of Injury watch, he is not allowed to exercise in his cell. Any other prisoner on Prevention of Injury watch would also not be allowed to exercise in their cell.

[lilylongflower]

since when can we trust what the pentagon says? these guys have a long history of lying when it suits their purposes.

if manning's treatment is ethical and within the law why can't dennis kucinich get in to see him? something very fishy about this.

[bamio]

Manning is a bigger traitor than Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. The Rosenberg's were executed for their misdeeds. Manning should be executed too.

[dinkydog1]

The Rosenberg sold secrets to our enemys. This guy just told the truth. Abu Ghraib, and stuff like this really made the Army an embarrisment.

[6591Hou]

dinkydog1 - "This guy just told the truth"? Not really, he used his job to gather and steal information in order to peddle it to the media (Wiki-leaks) for his own personal notoriety - he didn't stand up and say 'Yes, it was I who did this' until they had their case against him.

[saransk]

So did the Nazis. In fact, the Nuremberg laws actually made it legal to deny all civil rights to Jews, to sterilize people without a hearing, and kill children they determined to be deformed.
Why should we be surprised that our military, which violated human rights for years in Iraq and Afghanistan, claim they are treating a person who may have embarrassed them, legally.
We know, even before the Wiki-leaks, that our government and military have a long history of dubious and illegal activity that was then covered up.
The radiation releases and such at Hanford Washington, the health risks for the "downwinders" in Utah from the A bomb tests, the LSD experiments in the 1950's, spying on US citizens during the wars in Central America, black lists - it is endless.
Manning has not had a trial, even a court-martial. His treatment is punishment before sentencing and is prohibited by the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Those holding him are guilty of betraying their oath just as much as PFC Manning is accused of.

[6591Hou]

Wrong - pretrial confinement is not prohibited

[ralph.dratman]

And Manning is an American Citizen. All the claims about how foreigners don't have rights under our Constitution are irrelevant in this case, yet our fearless leaders are treating this guy with a similar disregard to the entire history of our democracy. If you want to continue to be subject to arbitrary arrest according to the whim of the current political party in power, just ignore Manning. You're not using your rights at the moment, so why worry? You will never be in any kind of trouble or disagreement with the government. That just doesn't happen to people like you.

[nfission]

Manning is a nonviolent offender who hasn't had a court date and has not been convicted of anything, yet he is being treated worse than someone who has committed a heinous crime and obviously has fewer rights. The military is torturing him on purpose, they are breaking him down, this is what they do, and if Obama thinks it is acceptable to punish someone before they are convicted of a crime then he speaks out of both sides of his mouth. So apparently all of you who think this kid should be disposed immediately actually believe that we are now guilty until proven innocent? That isn't due process of the law. A lot of you are just spouting off without even thinking. Consider the ramfications of such actions. This is the US and we are all citizens and we have a Constitution that is being ignored and putting lives at risk.

[Nile_Liszt]

@Lawyers-Guns-n-Money06..... This treatment is intended to de-humanise the prisoner through the total denial of his privacy and self-determination (for even a moment). It is psychological torture and its effects are well documented. The memoir "Den of Lions" by Terry Anderson is a first-hand account of one such experience.

[6591Hou]

Nile_Liszt - wrong, they gave him other clothing to wear to ensure that he doesn't use the elastic waistband to harm himself. They are not denying him the use of clothing or playing loud music to deprive him of sleep or any of the other multitude of conspiratorial claptrap notions.

[reiner52]

Interesting - our military is debasing themselves and act like the oppressive jailers in Egypt & Libya - we are a better country then that. If they think they have something on this guy, take him to court & try him, but just to hold him indefinitely is Un-American.