The U.S.
military is trying to "break" Pfc. Bradley Manning, the soldier accused of
leaking secrets to WikiLeaks, but it is Defense Secretary Robert Gates who could
end up with a blemish on his record, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
says.
The Ohio
Democrat suggested on Monday that there could even be legal consequences for
Secretary Gates if he allowed the harsh treatment of Manning to continue.
"I just
want to say one thing if I had a chance to talk directly to Secretary Gates.
He's at the end of his career, Secretary Gates. It would be a shame to have a
blot on his record which suggests he suborned human rights violations," he said.
Raw Story
Manning's attorney David Coombs revealed last week that for at least
two nights in a row, the Army private had been "stripped naked" for as long as
seven hours at a time. Raw Story In the
mornings, he was left without clothes and forced to stand at attention. Raw
Story "Is this
Quantico or Abu Ghraib?" Kucinich wrote recently. "Officials have confirmed the
'non-punitive' stripping of an American soldier who has not been found guilty of
any crime. This 'non-punitive' action would be considered a violation of the
Army Field Manual if used in an interrogation overseas." Raw
Story "There
will be consequences under the law for Secretary Gates for continuing to be
complicit in the way this soldier is being treated." Raw
Story "I don't
have any position on Mr. Manning's guilt or innocence, but the way he's being
treated raises questions about the Pentagon and about Secretary Gates," Kucinich
concluded. Raw Story
U.S.
Army private Bradley Manning was charged in July with leaking classified
material, including a video -- released by WikiLeaks -- of a 2007 U.S. Apache
helicopter attack in Baghdad that killed a Reuters news photographer and his
driver. FOX News Bradley
Manning was placed both under "maximum security" conditions and suicide watch.
The Atlantic David E.
Coombs, Manning's lawyer, announced that he had filed a complaint with the
Quantico Brigade accusing them of abusing his client. Amnesty
International has also questioned whether Manning should be classed as a maximum
custody detainee, since he has no history of violence or disciplinary offences.
Cafonline.org Manning
was arrested in May and held at a detention center in Kuwait before being
transferred to the Quantico Marine Corps base brig in Virginia. He is awaiting a
pre-trial hearing in May. Politico In
recent days and weeks, the U.S. government has condemned human rights abuses and
repression in almost every country across the Middle East -- yet at a prison
within its own borders it sanctions the persecution, alleged psychological
torture and debasement of a young soldier who appears to have made a principled
choice in the name of progress. Guardian One of
the few people to have visited Manning, David House, spoke on March 3 of how he
had witnessed his friend go from a "bright-eyed intelligent young man" to
someone who at times has appeared "catatonic" with "very high difficulty
carrying on day to day conversation". Guardian
HJ/KA/MMN
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