Bradley Manning to be moved to new military prison
Shifted from Marine to Army custody
What you need to know about cloud backup
US soldier Bradley Manning, held in military custody facing charges of leaking large amounts of classified data, is to be moved to a different jail.
At present, Manning is being held in the US Marine Corps brig at Quantico, Virginia. According to an announcement by top Pentagon lawyer Jeh Johnson, he will now be moved to the main US Army prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, which has more extensive facilities.
"The fact that we have made a decision to transfer this particular pre-trial confine ... should not be interpreted as a criticism of the place he was before," Johnson told reporters.
According to military spokespersons, Manning will suffer a less arduous and isolating confinement regime at Leavenworth, where he is expected to be able to take longer exercise and recreation periods and mix with other prisoners more – for instance at mealtimes.
Manning's current regime has seen him locked in his cell for 23 hours a day and his clothing taken away at night. His Marine jailers have stated that these measures were required under their procedures as Manning was assessed by them as being a suicide risk.
Lt Col Dawn Hilton, commanding the medium-security Joint Regional Correctional Facility at Leavenworth, told the Press Association that her jail had more comprehensive facilities than the Quantico brig – including a range of qualified mental, emotional and physical health professionals. Following Manning's "imminent" arrival there he will be comprehensively evaluated to discover whether he presents a threat to himself or others, according to the colonel. The 150 prisoners already under her care – including eight awaiting trial – normally get three hours recreation per day and eat their meals in a common dining area rather than in their cells.
Johnson said that Manning had been held in Virginia so that he could attend an interview in the Washington area in order to determine his competence to stand trial. That interview having been completed on 9 April, the move to Leavenworth can now go ahead.
The conditions of Manning's imprisonment at Quantico had been roundly criticised in many quarters. An Obama administration official, PJ Crowley, was forced to resign after adding his voice to that criticism, and the British government had formally expressed concern on the matter to the US State Department.
It is widely believed that Private Manning's alleged leaking of classified data (obtained while working as a junior intelligence analyst at a base in Iraq) is the source of the huge trove of classified US files released in recent times by the WikiLeaks website and its mainstream-media partners. However this is unproven and reports have it that US prosecutors cannot establish a court-worthy link between Manning and WikiLeaks.
Manning will certainly face trial, and if convicted he seems likely to serve a lengthy sentence. It is far less clear that any US prosecution will be mounted against WikiLeaks or persons involved with it.
Colourful WikiLeaks supremo Julian Assange™ is at present in the UK, battling an extradition request by prosecutors in Sweden arising from sexual offence charges he faces there. ®
COMMENTS
Land of the free
For fans of truly world class hypocrisy, there's a splendid youtube moment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUctxdsKk9Q from 11 April where the White House spokesman explains how China's evil for not allowing UN access to prisoners... and then confirms that the US won't allow UN access to Bradley Manning.
Next that'll happen?
If it's suicide, his jailors will go "told you so", smugly grinning in the knowledge that they made him do it. I'd do it, having been driven completely stark raving nekkid mad by such treatment for months. It's what they call a "self-fulfilling prophecy", and in this blatant and institutional abuse of power kind of case, ought to be criminal.
Torture
Whatever the bullshit about suicide risks, if a country such as North Korea, Iran, Yemen or any other of a fairly long list had held a western citizen under the same conditions as Manning has been held - extended solitary, forced nakedness / hypothermia and sleep deprivation - there would not have been any qualms in the west about calling the treatment by it's real name - torture. If there is any doubt that this treatment had nothing to do with potential suicide, just ask yourself why he was restricted to 1 hr exercise a day and not allowed to exercise in his cell - did they think he was going to exercise himself to death??
Shame on the US (although at least they have belatedly started improving the situation).
Irrespective of whatever he has done and even if he is guilty as hell, there's a reason why modern western countries do not mistreat their prisoners - It's called civilisation
IT infrastructure monitoring strategies
Agentless Backup is Not a Myth
Steps to Take Before Choosing a Business Continuity Partner
Enabling efficient data center monitoring
Requirements Checklist for Choosing a Cloud Backup and Recovery Service Provider
