Salon Writer Greenwald: Bradley Manning Being Tortured By Being Held In Solitary Confinement
Yesterday on Twitter, Salon's Glenn Greenwald promised followers a forthcoming story detailing allegations of torture against Private First Class Bradley Manning, the soldier accused of leaking to WikiLeaks. Manning, you may recall, is currently in the brig at Marine Corps Base Quantico.
"A major story brewing is the cruel, inhuman treatment - torture - to which Bradley Manning is being subjected: more to come shortly," Greenwald pledged on December 14. Greenwald's story was published early this morning.
So what was Greenwald's big scoop? What's the "torture" that Manning is subjected to?
If you said that he's in solitary confinement, can't watch MSNBC, and doesn't get a soft pillow with his cot, you guessed correctly (emphases mine):
Since his arrest in May, Manning has been a model detainee, without any episodes of violence or disciplinary problems. He nonetheless was declared from the start to be a "Maximum Custody Detainee," the highest and most repressive level of military detention, which then became the basis for the series of inhumane measures imposed on him.
From the beginning of his detention, Manning has been held in intensive solitary confinement. For 23 out of 24 hours every day -- for seven straight months and counting -- he sits completely alone in his cell. Even inside his cell, his activities are heavily restricted; he's barred even from exercising and is under constant surveillance to enforce those restrictions. For reasons that appear completely punitive, he's being denied many of the most basic attributes of civilized imprisonment, including even a pillow or sheets for his bed (he is not and never has been on suicide watch). For the one hour per day when he is freed from this isolation, he is barred from accessing any news or current events programs. [Quantico official] Lt. [Brian] Villiard protested that the conditions are not "like jail movies where someone gets thrown into the hole," but confirmed that he is in solitary confinement, entirely alone in his cell except for the one hour per day he is taken out.
In sum, Manning has been subjected for many months without pause to inhumane, personality-erasing, soul-destroying, insanity-inducing conditions of isolation similar to those perfected at America's Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado: all without so much as having been convicted of anything. And as is true of many prisoners subjected to warped treatment of this sort, the brig's medical personnel now administer regular doses of anti-depressants to Manning to prevent his brain from snapping from the effects of this isolation.
[...]
Manning is barred from communicating with any reporters, even indirectly, so nothing he has said can be quoted here. But David House, a 23-year-old MIT researcher who befriended Manning after his detention (and then had his laptops, camera and cellphone seized by Homeland Security when entering the U.S.) is one of the few people to have visited Manning several times at Quantico. He describes palpable changes in Manning's physical appearance and behavior just over the course of the several months that he's been visiting him. Like most individuals held in severe isolation, Manning sleeps much of the day, is particularly frustrated by the petty, vindictive denial of a pillow or sheets, and suffers from less and less outdoor time as part of his one-hour daily removal from his cage.
This is why the conditions under which Manning is being detained were once recognized in the U.S. -- and are still recognized in many Western nations -- as not only cruel and inhumane, but torture. More than a century ago, U.S. courts understood that solitary confinement was a barbaric punishment that severely harmed the mental and physical health of those subjected to it. The Supreme Court's 1890 decision in In re Medley noted that as a result of solitary confinement as practiced in the early days of the United States, many "prisoners fell, after even a short confinement, into a semi-fatuous condition . . . and others became violently insane; others still, committed suicide; while those who stood the ordeal better . . . [often] did not recover sufficient mental activity to be of any subsequent service to the community." And in its 1940 decision in Chambers v. Florida, the Court characterized prolonged solitary confinement as "torture" and compared it to "[t]he rack, the thumbscrew, [and] the wheel."
Greenwald has since updated his story to note that Lt. Villiard "claims there is one factual inaccuracy in what I wrote: specifically, he claims that Manning is not restricted from accessing news or current events during the prescribed time he is permitted to watch television."
So I guess Manning can watch MSNBC after all.
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Comments
Blankie time
Submitted by jon_torlin on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 12:43am.
Note I'm not saying a "blanket party" because I know what it is. Maybe if they gave him a blankie, he'll settle down?
So doing nothing to the guy is considered torture? That's how I'm reading this.
But it was mentioned, he has his MSNBC. I wonder if Rachel would say a few words of encouragement.
Bleah, who cares. He violated his oath as a soldier.
-Jon
Lots and lots of time to think and regret
Submitted by stratman on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 2:12am.
Hey Greenwald... ask John McCain what torture is.
3 hots and cot. TV and exercise priviledges. No one abusing him sexually or physically. An attorney. Medical care. Friends visiting. Clean clothes and soap and water. A toilet that flushes. Central air and heating. No rats nibbling on you at night while you sleep.
Yep, sounds exactly like the rack, thumbscrews and the wheel.
The man is charged with a most foul crime against the his country. He's not staying at a Hilton hotel. I'd bet my next paycheck that McCain would prefer Manning's confinement to that which he experienced at the Hanoi "Hilton".
The "constant surveillance" is at least partially if not primarily to watch out for suicidal or other harmful behavior. It's probably why he has no sheet... so he can't hang himself.
Right on, stratman.
Submitted by almostacowboy on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 2:03pm.
"...ask John McCain what torture is."
Throw him in GP
Submitted by sentry_99 on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 2:30am.
I would bet money he would be begging to go back to solitary. He is a high profile inmate that others would love to get their hands on to make a name for themselves. I'm sure old Bernie Madoff prefers solitary. Also, I may be wrong but isn't Manning gay? If he is or even if others think he is, he would not be as safe in General Population. Those criminals are so ignorant and close minded, they might hurt that poor kid just for that. They need mamabear to give them a stern talking to.
My thoughts exactly, Sentry.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 10:57am.
Throw that little pansy in GP, and he would be crying like a little girl to get back to solitary.
Of course, the Left would love to see him gang raped and beaten to a pulp so they could use that as propaganda. They couldn't care less about Manning and his suffering.
Tortured?
Submitted by ThisnThat on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 8:25am.
Good. We all know he's not, but if he thinks he's being tortured, that's good news to me.
However, he should be tried for treason, and if convicted, then shot. A man entrusted with this nation's secrets knows the penalties for divulging those secrets. Obviously, he thought he could get away with it. He didn't. I hope he goes insane, and then I hope he's executed.
__________
“Didn't win the Medal of Honor? Didn't even serve? Then lie about it. We'll support you." — 9th Circuit Court
They could room him at Gitmo
Submitted by Ruths husband Ben on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 8:46am.
They could room him at Gitmo with the other enemies of the USA. Give him one of those high profile terrorists as a roomie. That, and a soap-on-a-rope and he'll be all set.
He's kinda lucky
Submitted by jon_torlin on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 9:01am.
The guy should consider himself kinda lucky, and you know, the way things are, he might just get life imprisonment instead of the required punishment.
In other countries, they would have shot him on the spot, no quarter given, no trial, nothing.
-Jon
"Personality erasing" treatment?
Submitted by SickofLibs on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 8:30am.
Good. Sounds exactly like what Manning needs.
He is in Solitary so he survives
Submitted by c5then on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 9:08am.
Quantico is a Marine base. The brig at Quantico houses marines accused of and found guilty of crimes. But they are still MARINES. Manning has , in many people's minds commited treason. Putting him in the general population would likely lead to his severe beating and/or death at the hands of his fellow prisoners.
When someone is placed in solitary, the rules state exactly what they can do or have and what they can not.
So Greenwald, which is better and "more humane"...placing him in solitary so that he survives to go to trial or putting hin in the GP and having him dead in a few days or weeks?
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
Yeah lets put him to death
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 9:21am.
Yeah lets put him to death now so he wont have to be tortured. Seriously if these idiots think solitary is torture then its no wonder they believe Gitmo prisoners are being tortured.
An important point
Submitted by KC Mulville on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 9:35am.
Hindsight is not always 20-20. We look at what was in those cables, and frankly, a lot of it is merely embarrassing to political figures. So some journalists want to make the case that Bradley Manning acted heroically to reveal the all-too-human side of diplomacy and foreign relations.
But ... that's only true if Manning knew what was in the cables.
Does it seem likely that he would risk his career, and the rest of his life, just to embarrass Hillary Clinton? I doubt it.
I don't think he knew what was in the data-set that he downloaded. He just took everything. And I doubt he carefully reviewed and redacted the whole data-set to withhold the really fatal stuff. I think he just dumped it all, and passed it on.
I think he didn't know, and didn't care. He dumped everything he could get his hands on. He lucked out that the stuff he passed on wasn't Rosenberg-quality treason. But he didn't know that at the time. (Or maybe the government or Assange is actually holding stuff back, or Assange is using it for leverage now. Who knows?)
It's unlikely that someone who is willing to engage in this much risk did so for such little return. It's much more likely that he recklessly and maliciously downloaded everything he could get his hands on, to do the maximum damage, and he didn't care who got hurt. That's an inhuman callousness that deserves to be treated in kind.
Not the same
Submitted by DontFeedTheTrolls on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 9:49am.
The Supreme Court's 1890 decision in In re Medley noted that as a result of solitary confinement as practiced in the early days of the United States, many "prisoners fell, after even a short confinement, into a semi-fatuous condition . . . and others became violently insane; others still, committed suicide; while those who stood the ordeal better . . . [often] did not recover sufficient mental activity to be of any subsequent service to the community."There is a huge difference between 1890, 'the early days', and now as to what constitutes 'solitary'. Ignoring that is just more selective reporting.
There is an alternative
Submitted by CobraMan on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 1:01pm.
Well, if the liberal are so upset over this man's confinement conditions, there IS an alternative. He could face an immediate Court Martial and, after being found guilty of espionage while in uniform, be executed by firing squad! Is that a better alternative?
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
Aw. Poor Bradley needs a man.
Submitted by bkeyser on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 1:59pm.
Aw. Poor Bradley needs a man.
Poor, poor, Bradass!
Submitted by almostacowboy on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 2:00pm.
I guess the little twerp's not so "Bradass" any more, is he?
When I went through basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in the winter of 1967-68, I had the distinct experience of standing watch outside the brig there several times. That brig is under the control of The United States Marines, and as far as I could tell (from outside) they really didn't care who was in THEIR brig.
I remember "fire drills" at all hours of the night, accompanied by all the noise of Marines "encouraging" the prisoners to exit their cells as rapidly as they could. That would be followed by the singing of The Marine Hymn - sound really carries on 17 degree nights on the shores of Lake Michigan. Things like that tend to make a life-long impression on an 18 year-old.
So, the fact that Mr. Manning (my condolences to the un-related Archie Manning family for sharing that name) is in "extreme solitary" (I guess he's "really" alone) really doesn't make me that happy. I think he should be in general population so he then would be able to take full advantage of all the activities provided courtesy of The United States Marine Corps.
The little puke.
If I were POTUS and CIC, Greenwald would no-longer have to...
Submitted by Dave. on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 3:27pm.
...concern himself with the fairy traitor, as he would be on the other side of the grass by now - but not before I had him put on a rack and stretched until he puked up the names of everyone who aided him in carrying out his treason against this country.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November