Bradley Manning Is Stripped At Night And Made To Stand Naked By His Cell: Tortured For His Own Good
WIKILEAKS’ alleged data supplier Bradley Manning is stripped naked every night and made to stand outside his cell each morning.
He’s getting the Guantanamo treatment:
In addition to degradation of the detainee, stripping can be used to demonstrate the omnipotence of the captor or to debilitate the detainee.
Gleen Greenwald makes his point:
For instance, UCLA Professor Mark Kleiman — who last year hailed Barack Obama as, and I quote, “the greatest moral leader of our lifetime” – wrote last night:
The United States Army is so concerned about Bradley Manning’s health that it is subjecting him to a regime designed to drive him insane. . . . This is a total disgrace. It shouldn’t be happening in this country. You can’t be unaware of this, Mr. President. Silence gives consent.
The entire Manning controversy has received substantial media attention. It’s being carried out by the military of which Barack Obama is the Commander-in-Chief. Yes, the Greatest Moral Leader of Our Lifetime and Nobel Peace Prize winner is well aware of what’s being done and obviously has been for quite some time.
Marine spokesman first Lt. Brian Villiard explains why Manning is stripped:
“Because of recent circumstances, the underwear was taken away from him as a precaution to ensure that he did not injure himself. The brig commander has a duty and responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of the detainees and to make sure that they are able to stand trial.”
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Lieutenant Villiard, who says Private Manning is permitted to have two blankets at night, says detainees are awakened each morning and immediately come out of their cells. Private Manning cannot be given his underwear back before then, he said, because that would require waking him up ahead of time.
Does anyone sane – and that might not include Manning if this goes on for much longer – believe that explanation?
This from his lawyer:
The decision to strip PFC Manning of his clothing every night for an indefinite period of time is clearly punitive in nature. There is no mental health justification for the decision. There is no basis in logic for this decision. PFC Manning is under 24 hour surveillance, with guards never being more than a few feet away from his cell. PFC Manning is permitted to have his underwear and clothing during the day, with no apparent concern that he will harm himself during this time period. Moreover, if Brig officials were genuinely concerned about PFC Manning using either his underwear or flip-flops to harm himself (despite the recommendation of the Brig’s psychiatrist) they could undoubtedly provide him with clothing that would not, in their view, present a risk of self-harm. Indeed, Brig officials have provided him other items such as tear-resistant blankets and a mattress with a built-in pillow due to their purported concerns.
Why are you being told this? You’re not – the message is directed to the members of the military who have access to secrets…
Posted: 5th, March 2011 | In: Politicians Comments (19) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
January 19th, 2013 at 1:39 pm
Thanks for finally writing about > Bradley Manning Is Stripped At Night And Made To
Stand Naked By His Cell: Tortured For His Own Good < Liked it!
March 7th, 2011 at 9:11 pm
Cheryl, you are making a mistake if you think that people are concerned about this man’s rights as a human being because of what he has done. I think that what he has done as a serviceman, if proven, is wrong but depriving him of his underpants and his dignity as a human being is also wrong
March 7th, 2011 at 7:54 pm
An interesting observation about many people. Assange is a hero to multitudes for exposing US top secret and classified military information. Then the people claim, without knowing all the facts, the US is TORTURING the service man who betrayed our country with his giving their hero all those top secret and classified military documents.
What a screwed up world this is!
March 7th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
‘in some of the States it is still classified a ‘common law crime.’
Well a ‘common law crime’ is either a felony OR a misdemeanor. I’m assuming you are suggesting it is the latter.
The UK long abolished the differentation between them largely because of issues with the discrepancy – a serious assault would be a misdemeanor while shoplifting (or larceny) constitutes a felony.
March 7th, 2011 at 4:46 pm
I’m reading a book at the moment by one Walter Rideau about his time in Angola Prison, Louisianna (first on death row, then as a lifer when his sentence was commuted).
Seems to me that prison officers in the most dire prisons in the US are merely state-sponsored criminals in uniforms. (That said, Rideau does make much of the genuinely good ones).
Probably the same exists here – with some people; they want a uniform just so they can be a bully and who better to bully than an almost unanimously despised group – prisoners. Who cares if they are mistreated (by staff or other prisoners)?
March 7th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
The Real Sting, it once was the law over here that to commit suicide was a felony. In the early 90′s, the last of the States to have that law repealed it. However, in some of the States it is still classified a ‘common law crime.’
So, we really can’t permit a prisoner waiting to be executed for a crime they committed to commit another crime by committing suicide, can we? Besides, we have to help the Pharmaceutical Companies here and across the Pond to keep their profits up.
March 7th, 2011 at 4:38 pm
I don’t suppose treating prisoners a bit better so the thought of suicide is less attractive would be an option?
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Exactly my thoughts Yampster. Can’t see how the clothes become less of a potential problem during daylight hours.
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Cheryl. A fair trial from the US military, you mean like the Guantanamo inmates get?
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WW2 is an inappropriate analogy. Nations were fighting for their very existence. That is not the case at present. The US Military/government – lied about the US military killing civilians, including two Reuters reporters. Why is it treason to expose such lies. What sort of moral high-ground is it, if it is occupied by liars? I would characterise it as more of a moral quagmire than high ground.
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March 7th, 2011 at 4:16 pm
but it’s got nothing to do with him supposedly trying to top himself though, has it…? it’s all about psychological pressure and humiliation and smacks a bit of playground retribution to me, with a bit of misplaced patriotism thrown in for good measure as a justification – after the so-called suicide concerns, of course…
March 7th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
‘ I assume he gets his self harming clothes back?’
Genuinely laughing at this.
Yes. Prison jumpsuits are very dangerous.
You’d think that a more sensible approach would be to make sure his cell is free of anything that could hold a ligature. That would be what would happen in a UK prison should somone be put on suicide watch (called ACCT here) rather than taking the bizzare position that nakedness is protection against the self-harming instincts of the inmate.
Crap excuse.
March 7th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
What I don’t understand is why stripping him naked at night is going to stop him topping himself. Why can’t he do it during the day when I assume he gets his self harming clothes back? What they are really saying is that they can’t be bothered to watch him all that well at night.
March 7th, 2011 at 3:26 pm
So where exactly is the logic of trying to prevent someone from committing suicide so you can preserve them from execution?
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David: Can I recommend you read the book; Boyd, by Robert Coram. Contained within is a section which touches upon the procurement and specification process involved in the US Army Bradley infantry vehicle.
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When you talk about ‘traitors’ in the US military, I think you should start at the top and work your way down, because the ones at the top do far more damage. If your ‘system’ is not prepared or inclined to deal with those at the top, then picking on the ones at the bottom seems inappropriate.
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But in all cases, a trial first would be nice.
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March 7th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
Yampster, he’ll get a fair trial and no doubt the Military will bend over backwards to make certain that traitor’s Rights are protected every step of the way during his trial. I highly doubt he’ll be executed for what he did and I really don’t think he should be, as Assange would not be standing there with him facing the firing squad!
Tell me something, Yampster, if Manning had pulled this leaking out classified and top secret military information for the world and enemy to read during WWII, how fair a trial do you think he would have gotten in the midst of the War or just stood before a firing squad and been executed for the traitor he was?
March 7th, 2011 at 11:05 am
‘He’s scum, shoot the bastard!’
How pleasant. The guy has had no trial; yet you are calling for summary execution.
Thankfully, the judicial process is a little more rational in its approach.
March 7th, 2011 at 9:46 am
Should we bother with a trial before we do it?
March 6th, 2011 at 11:11 pm
Even though I’m only a naturalized US citizen (originally British) I cant agree with most of these posts. I served in the British army in Northern Ireland and my son is a Captain in the US marine Corps currently serving in the sandbox. Any traitor who would do anything to endanger him or any member of our armed forces deserves all he gets.
I’m not a right wing nut and I don’t own a gun, plus I voted for Obama. But I draw the line here, anyone who hasn’t served their country and put themselves in peril will not understand the heinous nature of what he did.
He’s scum, shoot the bastard!
March 6th, 2011 at 10:30 pm
Anorak, you ask above: “Does anyone sane – and that might not include Manning if this goes on for much longer – believe that explanation?” as pertaining to the Marine spokesman’s explanation of why Manning is stripped of clothing at night.
I will not address your unfair playing with your words “does anyone sane”; however, I will make some comments on whether or not I believe the Marine Spokesman’s explanation as to why Manning is stripped of clothing at night.
Yes, I do believe his statement as for the reason why Manning is being stripped every night; as he is facing a minimum life in prison and possibly the death penalty with the charges brought against him and the additional charges that were brought against him last Wednesday. He would be far from the first prisoner in our prison system nor the last to try to take his own life rather than spend the rest of his life surrounded by bars in a jail cell and/or sit all alone day after day waiting for his execution date.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41876046/ns/us_news-security/
“TORTURED” – the press and others claim it is a deliberate act of TORTURING Manning by taking his clothes away at night! It is incredible that something that is NOT that uncommon to have happen to prisoners in our Federal Prison System who may be considered at risk for suicide to have their clothing taken at night; yet have it happen to Manning, and the Press and others start screaming in bold printed headlines and press conferences the US is TORTURING Manning!
Paul, as I emailed you last night, the acquaintance I have and contacted re this story on Manning being so-called Tortured, who spent five years as a ‘guest’ at one of our Federal Prisons, came by this morning and I talked with him about your article and asked if he’d mind telling me for Anorak what does go in the Federal Prisons System re stripping the prisoners of their clothes and under what circumstances. I’m not going to use his name nor say what crime he committed under our Federal Laws that put him in a Federal prison for 5 years and then out on parole. He paid his time for his ‘stupidity’ to even commit a crime and deserves privacy and to get on with his life.
He said when a person walks through the Federal Prison doors they are given a number and no longer have their name – their number becomes their name. He said “we no longer have a life of our own, we belong to the Government.” Every minute of every day their life is controlled by the Government.
He laughed when I told him Manning being stripped of his clothes was being called Torture. He said anyone in the Prison who is thought to be at risk to commit suicide, whether a Prison Doctor diagnosed them as a potential suicide or they showed signs of depression that could lead to suicide, their clothes are taken away. He said some are given paper clothing to wear and others are naked in their jail cells 24/7. He said it was not unusual when walking past rows of cells to see the Prisoners in the cells naked. Blankets are given to the Prisoners at night and those who are considered a suicide risk have the same set up Manning has making it to impossible to take their own lives. He pointed out that there are prisoners who take their blankets and deliberately shove them down their toilet in their cell to back it up and blankets are taken away from them from that point on. –
There are cameras in all the cells and the prisoners are monitored 24/7 when in their cells. So I asked him “then you see nothing wrong with taking a prisoners clothes away?”. He said ‘you broke a Federal Law, you go to a Federal Prison and you belong to the Government and you live by their Rules.
So people say Manning is being TORTURED by taking away his clothes?
March 6th, 2011 at 12:26 pm
And people think our penal system should become more like the US!
‘They do things right there….; they give proper sentences there….’ etc etc.
March 6th, 2011 at 10:23 am
The US sets the standard for how a civilised democracy should not function.
March 6th, 2011 at 12:18 am
If true, this is an absolute disgrace! This is the end result of what happens when knee-jerk political reactions are made by people like Bush/Blair following 9/11, regarding how to treat enemy combatants/terrorists. In the end you see “mission creep” until all segments of society begin to feel a harsher approach to policing and justice. In other words, your societies begin to look/feel and imitate the very thing they claim to be fighting. Shame!!!