As a US military judge decides the fate of former army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning, activists in dozens of cities across the world are calling for the Convening Authority on the case to free the whistleblower.
Protests are taking place in dozens of cities throughout the US and the world, in what has been dubbed the “International Day of Action.”
London protesters held banners proclaiming “Free Bradley Manning”
in Trafalgar Square, although the number of demonstrators was not
large. Protests took place in a number of other international
cities, including Brussels and Perth, Australia.
The demonstrations are designed to coincide with the anticipated
sentencing phase of Bradley Manning’s trial. The whistleblower
could find himself faced with life in prison.
A panoramic of the "Free Bradley #Manning" banner in Strawberry Fields, NY #actforbradleypic.twitter.com/uC7SegJZqf
— StopMotionsolo (@StopMotionsolo) July 27, 2013
Protests in support of Bradley Manning were also organized in at
least 40 German cities, including Hamburg, Munich, and
Berlin, with the largest rally taking place in Frankfurt.
Initial protests began on Friday, as the prosecution and defense
wrapped up their arguments. Demonstrators blocked the gates of
Ft. McNair in Washington D.C., where the office of Jeffrey S.
Buchanan – the Convening Authority overseeing the trial – is
located. They held banners which read, “Buchanan, the choice
is yours” and “truth not treason.”
“It’s time we reclaim the word ‘patriot.’ The kind of
patriot we need today is not someone who defends all of our
country’s history and actions, it’s someone willing to stand up
for our country’s future, taking risks to ensure it’s a just
one,” campaign organizer Emma Cape from the Bradley Manning
Support Network said in a speech at Ft. McNair.
Veterans who served in Vietnam and Iraq, as well as activists
from Yemen and Iraq, also spoke at the event. A representative
from the US Peace Memorial Foundation, which awarded Manning
their 2013 Peace Prize, was also present.
RIGHT NOW #BradleyManning Activists harass Ft McNair by blocking both gates @DCMediaGroup@cool_revolutionpic.twitter.com/zSViG99KDr
— john zangas (@johnzangas) July 26, 2013
Twenty-five-year-old Manning faces a potential life sentence for
leaking hundreds of military and diplomatic cables and documents
to WikiLeaks. He has pleaded guilty to mishandling classified
information, which carries a maximum 20 year sentence. He faces
life in prison for charges of aiding the enemy, espionage,
computer fraud, and federal theft.
The prosecution has called Manning a “glory-seeking
traitor,” while his defense team says he is a naïve
whistleblower who was horrified by atrocities of the Iraq war.
The lawyers added that Manning had no idea that the material he
leaked would end up in the hands of al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.
Defense attorney David Coombs said that although Manning was
negligent in releasing classified material, he lacked the “evil
intent” which must be proven in order to be convicted of aiding
the enemy. Coombs also said that giving the material to Wikileaks
was no different than giving it to a newspaper.
#BradleyManning Activists continue to disrupt rush hour exit from Ft McNair @DCMediaGroup@cool_revolutionpic.twitter.com/Smj4IkmHWh
— john zangas (@johnzangas) July 26, 2013
After his arrest in May 2010, Manning was detained alone in a
cell for up to 23 hours a day, sometimes with no clothing. His
jailers at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia admit he
was a suicide risk.
The military judge who is deciding Manning’s fate, Col. Denise
Lind, has ruled that he has been illegally punished and should
get up to 112 days off any prison sentence he receives. Lind has
said she will give one day’s notice before reconvening the court
in August to announce the verdict.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange said in a telephone press
conference on Friday that if Manning is convicted, it will be
“the end of national security journalism in the United
States.”