Pfc. Bradley Manning, an alleged WikiLeaks whistle-blower, will be formally arraigned on the 23rd of February. While his presence in the courtroom will be brief, the arraignment sets in motion Manning’s court martial, which is currently expected to begin in May. With this in mind we are requesting that supporters write, email, and call their local representatives to express their outrage over the charges against, and the treatment of, Pfc. Bradley Manning. The military court proceedings have thus far been for show, but we can still ask our elected officials to protect whistle-blowers and to pressure the Obama Administration to drop all the charges against Bradley Manning.

1. It took a year and a half to get to the pretrial hearing, and once there the military selected an Investigating Officer from the same department investigating WikiLeaks. This is not justice.

2. Military officials are refusing to allow access to key witnesses and evidence. The only witnesses called by the defense who will be allowed to testify are those who have also been called by the administration. They have blocked critically important evidence — such as internal administration WikiLeaks impact assessments — from being considered in open court. This evidence could have contradicted the government’s ridiculous “aiding the enemy” charge.

3. Whistle-blowers are essential to a vibrant democracy. Secrecy is not the answer. Laws must be implemented to protect whistle-blowers. Blowing the whistle on war crimes should not be a crime. Why was this material classified in the first place? The classification of government documents should not be used to cover up crimes.

4. Eight months of solitary confinement is torture. The Obama administration has repeatedly denied the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, from access to a private visit with Bradley Manning. Why has Bradley Manning’s treatment been so severe? Why is Bradley Manning being denied a confidential visit with Juan Mendez?

Stop the retaliation against whistle-blowers. Drop all charges against PFC Bradley Manning! Call your local representative and ask them to raise the issue of Pfc. Bradley Manning’s unjust treatment. Tell them justice is not being served. Please write, tweet, email, call, and otherwise share your experience. Let us know how your representatives have responded. Bradley Manning’s supporters are listening, and it’s time for the government to do the same.

The phone number and contact information for your representative can be found by following the link below,

House of Representatives Contact Information.

International supporters can raise the issue with the nearest US Embassy.

The National Lawyers Guild recently joined our call on the Obama administration to dismiss all the charges against Bradley Manning. “Manning’s prosecution is calculated to distract us from the real problem, that the U.S. government is once again hiding from the public proof of crimes committed in our name,” states David Gespass, NLG President. (read more…)

Thank you for supporting Pfc. Bradley Manning!

President Obama's war on whistleblowers

Last week, RT covered Obama’s continuing and unprecedented war on whistleblowers in America. The clip below includes the new provisions of the ironically named ‘Whistleblower Improvement Act of 2011 (H.R. 2483)’, which makes exposing wrongdoing more difficult, an interview with State Department whistleblower Peter van Buren about excessive American secrecy, and a review of Bradley Manning’s trial and treatment.

The new Whistleblower Improvement Act provisions:

1. Requires a whistleblower to first report information to employer before going to a regulatory agency.
2. Requires to SEC to notify the entity before commencing any enforcement action is taken
3. Legalizes retaliation by company against whistle blowing employee.
4. Removes incentives for whistleblowers previously guaranteed by Dodd-Frank Act.

Julian Assange’s lawyer gives talk in Sydney, “Don’t shoot the messenger: WikiLeaks, Assange and Democracy.” In her remarks, Jennifer Robinson discussed how PFC Manning is being overcharged and mistreated to pressure him into implicating her client:

Australians need only look to how [Bradley Manning] is being treated within US prisons to understand what will happen to Julian if he ends up in the US.

Bradley Manning has been subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment in breach of international standards, causing international outrage. At the hearing in the US just before Christmas, it was Bradley Manning’s committal hearing, his defense lawyer Mr. [David E.] Coombs stood up in opening and sought to recuse the investigating officer. Why? Because he is an employee of the Department of Justice.

He sought [to] recuse him on the grounds that the Department of Justice had an ongoing criminal investigation into Julian Assange. Therefore his employer had an interest in Bradley Manning making a plea bargain in order to criminally implicate Assange.

In closing, he said that the way in which Bradley Manning has been treated, the way in which he has been overcharged — let’s not forget that Bradley Manning is facing 150 years plus life in prison, there is a potential death penalty for the aiding the enemy charge that was introduced just six months before the pretrial hearing — that overcharging is designed, in Mr. Coombs’ opinion in his submissions before the court, to put pressure on Bradley Manning to implicate Assange.

Coombs’ request for the investigating officer’s recusal was denied. In his closing remarks, Coombs implored the IO to drop the ‘aiding the enemy’ charge and reduce the remaining charges to come up with a deal that would put Manning in prison for 30 years. The IO, however, recommended all charges be forwarded to court martial. (Read more…)

U.S. Senate candidate supports whistleblowers. David Levitt, running against incumbent Dianne Feinstein for a California seat in the U.S. Senate, attended Friday’s Whistleblowers Conference at UC Berkeley. According to SFgate.com, “Levitt believes strongly in protecting whistleblowers such as WikiLeaks and other journalists who expose corruption — especially when, as even Defense Secretary Gates has confessed, the harm they are accused of causing is ‘overblown’.”

The incumbent he’s challenging, Dianne Feinstein, is notorious for supporting bills that erode civil liberties. For example, Feinstein was an original co-sponsor of a bill to extend the USA PATRIOT Act. (Read more…)

National Occupy Day in Support of Prisoners

Those familiar with his case know that these descriptors apply to Bradley Manning. PFC Manning was held in solitary confinement for 10 months (the first 2 in Kuwait, then 8 in Quantico, VA), and UN torture chief Juan Mendez is still barred from visiting him to investigate his treatment.

Occupy Oakland’s initial call-out for the solidarity day included PFC Manning alongside other U.S. political prisoners. Accused of causing no harm but simply revealing the truth, Manning should not be detained in the first place. Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War and Courage to Resist will be attending the Bay Area action to represent PFC Manning.

Here is a list of nationwide events for today’s action – show support for Bradley at your local protest!

Socialist Equality Party presidential candidate Jerry White demands Bradley Manning’s immediate release. In an op-ed reviewing Manning’s treatment and the material attributed to him, White writes:

Manning is alleged to have provided WikiLeaks with hundreds of thousands of documents on US machinations abroad, as well as a video depicting a military helicopter massacring Iraqi civilians. Yet it is not the war criminals that Obama is prosecuting, but those who are alleged to have played a role in revealing these crimes.

If he is responsible for the leaks, Manning, only 24 years old, deserves not condemnation but support. His actions are an expression of revulsion, broadly felt in the population, against the Iraq war and American militarism.

Many activists, legal experts, and government insiders sympathetic to Manning believe that torturing him has been part of the government’s attack from the start. It appears that they are working to break Bradley Manning down so that he accepts a plea agreement that would help with the prosecution of WikiLeaks. Not only is it a case about individual rights, like the right to a fair trial, but also one of civil liberties. White’s statement takes aim at the Obama administration’s ongoing removal of civil liberties, and its sinister lies promoting “transparency” while prosecuting “more whistle-blowers under the Espionage Act than all other administrations combined.” (Read more…)

A vigil will be held at the U.S. Embassy in London on February 23, for Bradley’s arraignment. This Thursday, PFC Manning will be arraigned for court martial in Fort Meade, Maryland. Several UK groups are organizing a vigil to stand with Bradley during his arraignment. (Read more…)

Supporter in Sweden sends ‘Free Bradley Manning’ photo. The supporter, Devrim, sent in this photo, along with the caption below:

Free Bradley Manning display in Sweden

“This photo was taken in Stockholm, Sweden. I was walking past a shop where they had put this big photo of Bradley Manning on display, clearly visible for anyone passing by on the street outside. I thought it was a nice and simple way to show support and wanted to share it with you. Regards, Devrim.”

Urge Leon Panetta and President Obama to free Bradley

Ways to take action for Bradley Manning

Continue supporting Bradley Manning in a variety of ways. You can sign a petition to allow UN torture rapporteur Juan Mendez to visit PFC Manning, which is nearing 20,000 signatures. Call Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and ask him to free Bradley – information here. If you were a prior Obama volunteer or donor you can urge President Obama to live up to his campaign promises of transparency and accountability – sign here. And you can always search for a nearby event for Bradley Manning or learn more about hosting your own right here.

Whistleblower conference at UC-Berkeley

Starting today, UC-Berkeley is hosting a 3-day whistleblower conference, created by the Fresh Juice Party (FJP) and entitled “Occupy the Truth.” The first event is a Bradley Manning panel, at 7 PM, featuring Daniel Ellsberg, Ann Wright, & Ray McGovern. The Fresh Juice Party says that proceeds will go to Bradley Manning’s defense fund. Read more about the conference and FJP at HuffPo.

Jack Littman writes song for Manning

Singer-songwriter Jack Littman released a song for and about Bradley Manning. It’s called “The Whistleblower,” and includes the refrain, “Truths the world needs to know.” Listen here.

Open letter to Gen. Odierno

Earlier this month, University of Southern Indiana professor Mary Keck wrote an open letter to General Ray Odierno about the courage and service of Bradley Manning at Open Salon. She writes:

If the allegations that he leaked information to WikiLeaks are true, he fulfilled his oath to protect and serve the citizens of the United States. Therefore, his actions should be celebrated just as we would recognize the deeds of any courageous service member.

Gen. Odierno is the chief of staff of the U.S. Army. Keck’s letter comes ahead of Bradley’s Feb. 23 arraignment. (Read more…)

PFC Bradley Manning

Bradley nominated for Global Exchange human rights award

Global Exchange annually brings “together activists, supporters, and friends to recognize the efforts of exceptional individuals and organizations working for human rights from around the country and around the world.” This year, PFC Bradley Manning is nominated for the award.

As the Support Network’s own Emma Cape writes, the documents attributed to Bradley

reveal a disturbing trend of corporate influence on the U.S.’s foreign policies, as well as the frequency with which officials around the world actively mislead citizens regarding crimes against human rights and the environment. According to journalists, Bradley’s alleged actions helped motivate the democratic revolution in Tunisia. Also, by highlighting the failure of the military to appropriately address war crimes, they contributed to the Obama Administration finally agreeing to withdraw all U.S. troops from the occupation in Iraq.

Read the whole entry and vote for Bradley here. As of this posting, PFC Bradley Manning is leading the vote count. Voting ends March 19.

UNESCO WikiLeaks conference

Today and tomorrow, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is holding a conference entitled “The Media World after WikiLeaks and News of the World,” from which WikiLeaks representatives were banned.

FireDogLake’s Kevin Gosztola has been tweeting and live-blogging the conference. His reporting covers several different issues that WikiLeaks raises, but he notes one particular moment where the impact of WikiLeaks’ releases arose, which has ramifications for PFC Bradley Manning’s trial:

New York Times‘ Ian Fisher said during Q&A that his colleague David Sanger recently spoke to a State Department official, who was very upset with publication of cables. They said in the end the harm was very small and in the end “Pakistanis guarded their fissile material in a much better way after it came out that somebody could possibly get a hold of it.” I think David Coombs should take note of this. He should get this State Department official to testify under oath at Bradley Manning’s court martial.

Read Kevin’s full post here, watch livestream of the next conference session tomorrow here, and see Kevin’s live-tweets on the conference here.

Northwest campaign to free Bradley Manning

Bradley Manning Support Network campaign organizer Jeff Paterson finished an extensive tour of the northwest U.S. discussing PFC Bradley Manning’s case, his upcoming trial, and the efforts to free him.

Here’s video of a recent talk in Portland, Oregon, entitled ‘Saving Private Manning.’

And here is a shorter video of Jeff discussing his personal military history and the founding of Courage to Resist:

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is the highest ranking civilian leader of the military, aside from President Obama in his role as Commander-In-Chief. As a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, he worked for civil rights issues, and there is hope he will listen to our concerns about Bradley. He is also relatively new to the trial, and in a position of influence to allow United Nations requests for a special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez, to have access to confidentially meet with Pfc. Bradley Manning. It is unconscionable that anyone would block a UN observer to investigate serious allegations of prisoner abuse. It is particularly unusual that a President would allow one of his own soldiers to be treated so indecently.

A visit by a UN observer could be a first step towards a fair trial for Bradley Manning. However, the administration has so far persisted in staging a show trial — one where they’d already declared the defendant guilty before he’d been charged.

Call the Secretary of Defense. Let him know this court martial is a sham. Tell him to drop these ridiculous charges and pursue those who have abused Bradley Manning’s rights. If Secretary Panetta is unable or unwilling to hold military officials accountable for the criminal and improper behavior that has been exposed, then we will hold him responsible too.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta
(703) 692-7100

If the number stops answering, you can also pressure his institute for public policy, which should certainly be educating people on the importance of whistle-blowers and fair justice.

The Panetta Institute for Public Policy
100 Campus Center, Building 86E
California State University, Monterey Bay
Seaside, California 93955
Phone 831-582-4200
Fax 831-582-4082
Email: info@PanettaInstitute.org

Call the Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta. Share your concerns about Bradley’s brutal confinement and unjust prosecution.

• Ask him to drop all the charges against Pfc. Bradley Manning.
• Allow the defense to present its case! Including, all of its evidence and witnesses.
• Prosecute war criminals not whistle-blowers.
• Stop denying the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture access to visit Bradley Manning.
• Recognize that Bradley is an honorable person & give him a medal. Free Bradley Manning!

Once you call, sign this petition sponsored by Occupy and anti-war protester, and Veteran, Scott Olsen. It asks Leon Panetta to allow UN Special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez, access to visit with Bradley Manning so that he can properly investigate and report on the abuse. The petition already has 17,800 of the 25,000 needed signatures. Please add your voice.

Scott Olsen’s petition to Free Bradley Manning.

February 13, 2012. Bradley Manning Support Network.

The US Army last week scheduled a formal arraignment hearing for PFC Bradley Manning, the accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower. The arraignment is scheduled for 1:00 PM EST, February 23, 2012 at Fort Meade, Maryland, just northeast of Washington DC. While the hearing itself is expected to be brief, PFC Manning is expected to be present, and the proceedings are open to the media and public. Washington DC area supporters of the Support Network are encouraged to attend the arraignment.

Bradley’s show trial will begin in earnest with this arraignment. This proceeding will set the dates for a series of hearings on pre-trial motions likely to occur in March and April. Finally, the arraignment will set the date for the full court-martial—which we currently expect to begin in early May.

If the Obama administration is the least bit concerned with providing even the appearance of a fair trial, they will allow Bradley’s legal defense team to explore the critical issues at the heart of this case, including: President Obama’s recorded unlawful command influence over the proceedings, the illegal and torturous conditions that Bradley was subjected to for nine months at the Quantico Marine Brig, the over-classification of all of the documents in question, and the lack of any harm to national security from the release of the documents.

So far military officials have blocked nearly every request by Bradley’s defense team, led by Iraq War veteran David Coombs, for access to evidence and witnesses that could explore these core issues. During the Article 32 pre-trial hearing held in December, the defense was denied access to over three dozen critical witnesses (while the prosecution was allowed access to every one of two dozen witnesses requested). This allowed military officials to limit the hearing to little more than a discussion of mitigating factors related to Bradley’s emotional health.

If Bradley had been a member of the US Marine squad that admitted to systematically murdering two dozen innocent Iraqi men, women, and children in Haditha, Iraq, he’d be walking free today. Instead, he faces the real prospect of life in prison for telling the truth.

Next week’s arraignment comes just after Bradley was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by members of the Icelandic Parliament. A blog post by MP Birgitta Jónsdóttir explained their rationale for the nomination:

“According to journalists, his alleged actions helped motivate the democratic Arab Spring movements, shed light on secret corporate influence on our foreign policies, and most recently contributed to the Obama Administration agreeing to withdraw all U.S. troops from the occupation in Iraq.”

Join us at a mass rally for Bradley at Fort Meade to coincide with the beginning of his court martial! The date(s) of the rally will be announced after the trial date is set—we’re currently anticipating early May. If you can’t make the trip to the Washington DC area, organize or take part in one of over a hundred solidarity events worldwide.

Individuals who can help organize events in your town/city: Sign our Trial Action Pledge to help organize support for Bradley!

Organizations that wish to endorse these events and potentially help publicize and organize them: Check out our new Organizational Endorsement Pledge!

We have about 100 days to save Bradley from over 100 years in prison—learn more at bradleymanning.org

Donate at bradleymanning.org/donate

This week, The Oklahoma Center for Conscience and Peace Research (OCCPR) adds its name to the groups which have nominated Bradley Manning for the Nobel Peace Prize. (Last Saturday, an Icelandic Parliamentary group, known as “The Movement,” announced they had nominated Bradley for the award.)

“Because Bradley is an Oklahoma native, we feel a special responsibility to show that there are Oklahomans who support him, seek his freedom and will continue to work for his cause,” said Rena Guay OCCPR Executive Director. “We have spoken to media from around the world about our interest in the Manning case, because the whole world is watching what the United States will do to someone who they believe has exposed secrets about war crimes, diplomatic doublespeak and policy hypocrisy.”

Read more…

Firedoglake is asking everyone to voice their support for Bradley Manning’s Nobel Peace Prize nomination. “While the government can try and lock Bradley away for the rest of his life, they cannot suppress his story and what it means for other whistle-blowers. Fortunately, Bradley Manning’s nomination for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize is an excellent opportunity to raise awareness for his case once more” they write. Sign your name to the letter that asks the Nobel committee to award Bradley Manning the Peace Prize. (Read more…)

The White House continues its attacks on whistle-blowers while ignoring abuses. The Obama adminstration is now famous for being the most secretive in history. While campaigning on promises of transparency, once in power Obama took an about face, and his administration has since been cracking down on whistle-blowers while refusing to prosecute war criminals. The latest crackdown is the prosecution of John Kiriakou who disclosed secrets about routine torture in Guantanamo prison. For leaking information of torture to the NYTimes, he is now being prosecuted under the Espionage act. Looking at this case and others, Peter Van Buren (himself a whistle-blower and critical of U.S. policies in Iraq), writes,

“By now, there can be little doubt that government retaliation against whistleblowers is not an isolated event, nor even an agency-by-agency practice. The number of cases in play suggests an organized strategy to deprive Americans of knowledge of the more disreputable things that their government does. How it plays out in court and elsewhere will significantly affect our democracy.”

Van Buren goes on to point out that Obama has charged more people under the espionage act then all previous presidents combined. And beyond heavy handed prosecutions, he also reports that often the government is using extra-legal means to silence whistle-blowers. It’s time to bring change. Pressure Obama to restore transparency, and to protect whistle-blowers, who even he admitted are necessary for a functioning democracy. Who else will watch the watchers? (Read more)

Are you a past or present Obama campaign supporter outraged by this trend of whistle-blower prosecution? Then you should check out our petition especially for Obama volunteers and supporters to voice their opinions. The petition is just the first step in our new strategy to target Obama’s 2012 campaign and pressure Obama to free Bradley. In the future, we’ll be looking for people who want to do actions outside Obama campaign offices, as well.

“You can’t spin the fact that more men are getting blown up every year” states Colonel Davis, in a NYTimes article on whistle-blowers and the Afghan war. Colonel Davis was one of the few soldiers who acknowledged the fact the war wasn’t going well, even when officials like General Patraeus were trying to sell the public on its success. Col. Davis is also the author of the essay “Truth, lies and Afghanistan: How military leaders have let us down.” He argues that military commanders have lied about the success of the war, and that when things go wrong “we do expect — and the men who do the living, fighting and dying deserve — to have our leaders tell us the truth about what’s going on.” A teacher of ethics at a military college, Martin L. Cook, argues however that because Davis has gone outside the normal channels, “he is taking his chances on what happens to him.” (Read more…)

“Bradley Manning’s show trial will begin in earnest with this arraignment,” said Jeff Paterson, a lead organizer with the Bradley Manning Support Network. “If the Obama administration was the least bit concerned with providing a fair trial, they would have allowed the defense to explore critical issues, such as unlawful command influence, over-classification, and the torturous conditions to which PFC Manning has been subjected while in their custody. If they were concerned about justice, they would drop the charges against Bradley Manning and prosecute those whose crimes have been revealed.”

Military officials have routinely blocked requests by Manning’s defense team, led by Iraq war veteran David Coombs, for access to evidence and witnesses that could explore these and other relevant issues. During the Article 32 proceedings held in December, the defense was largely restricted by military officials to a discussion of mitigating factors related to Manning’s emotional health. The defense is expected to renew their requests through additional motions leading up to the court-martial.

The arraignment comes as PFC Manning was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by members of the Icelandic Parliament. A blog post by MP Birgitta Jónsdóttir explained their rationale for the nomination:

“According to journalists, his alleged actions helped motivate the democratic Arab Spring movements, shed light on secret corporate influence on our foreign policies, and most recently contributed to the Obama Administration agreeing to withdraw all U.S. troops from the occupation in Iraq.”

Organizers with the Bradley Manning Support Network expect the court-martial to begin as early as May. Hundreds of supporters demonstrated outside the Article 32 hearings. Organizers say that the Obama administration can expect even larger numbers at the court-martial.

Just this week professor Mary Keck wrote an open letter to General Odierno, asking him to bring war criminals to justice, and to recognise the valor and honor of  Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Pfc. Bradley Manning. We appreciate her letter, and would like to follow it up with as many calls and letters of support as possible! Please write General Odierno. Let him know blowing the whistle on war crimes should not be a crime. It should be a crime to hide them.

Professor Keck writes,

“Pfc. Bradley Manning has shown true courage at great cost to himself. Like all soldiers, he chose to serve knowing that he may die in combat, but he went above and beyond this duty by choosing to do what was right rather than what would make him popular. If the allegations that he leaked information to Wikileaks are true, he fulfilled his oath to protect and serve the citizens of the United States. Therefore, his actions should be celebrated just as we would recognize the deeds of any courageous service member.”

Read her full letter, then write to Army Chief of Staff, General Raymond Odierno at the following address. Also visit his Facebook page, and his blog, and let him know how you feel about Bradley Manning’s shameful incarceration and trial.

Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno

Chief of Staff of the US Army
101 Army Pentagon, Rm. 3E672
Washington DC 20310-0200

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/RayOdierno
BLOG: http://armylive.dodlive.mil/index.php/2011/11/gen-ray-odierno/
TWITTER: @GENRayOdierno

If the number above stops answering we suggest calling-

* Secretary of the Army Public Affairs Officer Lt. Anne Edgecomb: 703-697-3491 [email: Anne.edgecomb@us.army.mil]
* Army Chief of Staff Public Affairs Officer Lt. Col Alayne Conway: 703-693-4961 [email: Alayne.conway@us.army.mil]

Here are a few suggested demands for your letters, messages, and phone calls:

• Allow the defense to present its case! Including, all of its evidence and witnesses.
• Prosecute war criminals not whistle-blowers.
• Stop denying the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture access to visit Bradley Manning.
• Drop all the charges against Bradley Manning.
• Recognize that Bradley is an honorable person & give him a medal. Free Bradley Manning!

Thank you for supporting Pfc. Bradley Manning.