Bradley Manning Support Network » National Call-in Week November 15th-18th! - #FreeBrad #FreeManning #FreeBradley - #Wikileaks
Occupy military phone lines! Let the UN meet with Bradley!
Please join us, and our partners, on this important action every day this week. We’ll update this page Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday with contact info for more people we need to influence.
On October 18 2011, UN chief investigator on torture issues, Juan Mendez, confirmed that the Department of Defense has blocked his requests for an unmonitored meeting with PFC Bradley Manning, the accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower. Mendez requested the meetings so that he could investigate what occurred during the 10 months that Bradley Manning was kept isolated in the military brig at Quantico, VA, under conditions condemned as illegal by 300 top U.S. legal scholars.
The White House has so far refused to respond to our requests for explanation as to why Mendez is not being allowed to complete an investigation. Our petition on the White House website, http://www.wh.gov/40y, calls for the Administration to stop blocking Mendez’s attempts to conduct an official visit as required by his office. The petition achieved the number of signatures necessary for a response on October 13th, yet still has not been addressed.
We want to put pressure on the Secretary of the Army and Army Chief of Staff to comply with the United Nations’ demand. Juan Mendez has requested unmonitored meetings with Bradley so as to insure that international protocol for prisoner treatment and justice are followed. (The UN’s original statement on this issue is here.)
Please make two phone calls for Bradley:
- Call Secretary of the Army Public Affairs Officer Lt. Anne Edgecomb: 703-697-3491
- Call Army Chief of Staff Public Affairs Officer Lt. Col Alayne Conway: 703-693-4961
When you call, please urge Secretary of the Army John McHugh and Chief of Staff Raymond T. Odierno to respect the UN Convention Against Torture and to allow UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez to conduct an official visit with Bradley Manning.
After calling, you can also e-mail them:
- E-mail Lt. Edgecomb at Anne.edgecomb@us.army.mil
- E-mail Lt. Col Conway at Alayne.conway@us.army.mil
- If you live outside of the United States, you can call the US embassy or consulate in your country and ask them to note your request. You can find US embassies here.
Then please spread the word! Ask your friends and family to call as well by sharing this action on Facebook and Twitter and by emailing them the link to this page.
Thank you for supporting Bradley. Check this page Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for additional numbers and e-mails of people we need to reach in our defense of Bradley’s rights.
Background information:
Bradley Manning, a 23-year-old US Army intelligence analyst, is accused of sharing a video of the killing of unarmed civilians—including two Reuters journalists—by a US helicopter in Baghdad. He is also charged with blowing the whistle on the Afghan War Diary, the Iraq War Logs, and embarrassing US diplomatic cables (including the Guantanamo Files). The video and documents have illuminated details of civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, human rights abuses and atrocities, and the role that spying and bribes play in international diplomacy.
Prior to his transfer to Fort Leavenworth, PFC Manning had been held in solitary confinement in the military brig of Quantico, VA for ten months. While in prison in Quantico, Manning was not allowed to exercise, with the exception of being allowed to walk shackled for one hour each day. He was denied exposure to sunlight. He was not allowed to sleep between 5am and 8pm, and he had to respond verbally to guards every five minutes. Although the Quantico officials said these rules were necessary because of a “Prevention of Injury” order, the brig’s own psychiatrists confirmed that Bradley was not suicidal. In March of 2011, Quantico officials began forcing Bradley to strip naked each night before bed, and to sleep in a “suicide smock.”
The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, opened an investigation into PFC Manning’s treatment conditions. Unfortunately, he was denied the ability to make an official visit to investigate the situation. Although PFC Manning has been transferred to a new prison, Mendez is still requesting to visit PFC Manning to complete his investigation as required by his position as chief UN officer on torture. His requests continue to be denied.
