Update 1/16/13: Right to a speedy trial to be addressed today, Graham Nash on unlawful pretrial punishment
“The punishment of Bradley Manning goes directly against the Uniform Code of Military Justice’s own laws, namely Section 813 article 13, which basically states, “No punishment before trial.” This law was obviously broken.” – Graham Nash
Bradley Manning in court today for an important pretrial hearing that will address the lack of a speedy trial. The government was obligated to arraign Bradley Manning within 120 days of his arrest. They took 635. They claim this was because they were dealing with classified information. If they are found to have violated this right, the judge must dismiss the charges. However the charges could be dismissed “without prejudice” which would allow the government to recharge. Thus far Bradley Manning has been imprisoned 963 days. By the time the court martial begins it will have been more than 3 years.
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, singer, songwriter, and activist Graham Nash discusses his reactions to Judge Lind’s ruling that Bradley Manning’s treatment at Quantico prison was unlawful pretrial punishment. He is critical of just how little reprimand the military was given for having mistreated a soldier and for having broken their own laws. “If the military broke its own laws and President Obama even declared publicly that Manning had broken the law, then how can anyone say that this could be a “fair” trial? Which military judge is going to go against the statements of his or her commander in chief?” he asks. (Read more…)
In the pre-trial punishment given to Private Bradley Manning, the Marine Corps kept him in isolation for a dangerously long period of time. The Quantico brig, under the constant eye of General George Flynn from the Pentagon, without hesitation blew off weekly protests from staff psychiatrists who warned that the staff’s handling of Manning endangered his psychological health. Judge Lind made no attempt to correct these practices by taking serious note of them and reducing Manning’s sentence drastically.
This apparent universal disrespect shown by the military for psychiatric advice helps to clarify why so many soldiers return home with PTSD. Judge Lind has thrown away a crucial teaching moment for instructing the DoD in how to preserve the psychological health of our armed forces.
This is just a national shame