Bradley Manning still in solitary confinement: UN torture investigator still no access

From the Bradley Manning Support Network
UN torture investigator confirms no access to Bradley, condemns solitary confinement

By Zack Pesavento, BMSN.

NEW YORK -- Juan Mendez, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, confirmed yesterday that the Department of Defense has blocked his requests for an unmonitored meeting with PFC Bradley Manning, the accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower. He told reporters gathered at a U.N. General Assembly committee on human rights that he would be issuing a report on Bradley Manning's case "in the next few weeks."

Mendez noted that the Obama administration had offered the possibility of a meeting, but only under "conditions in which they could not confirm the confidentiality of my conversations with him." He said that, according to the rules of his U.N. mandate, "that is a condition that we cannot accept." Mendez explained further that he nevertheless offered to meet with PFC Manning, but that "he also chose not to waive his right to have a private conversation with me."

How you can help Bradley while supporting the Occupy movement

By Emma Cape, BMSN.

The high-profile whistle-blowing of which PFC Bradley Manning is accused links closely to the issues that #OccupyWallStreet and other #Occupy protests seek to address. Back door deals between high-level government officials and large corporations prevent the public from being able to keep Wall Street's influence on government in-check through democratic means. In our statement of solidarity with the #OccupyWallStreet movement, we explain:

Similarly to the Arab Spring, the Occupy movement can draw from information revealed by WikiLeaks that exposes corporate manipulation of our foreign policy. An October 2009 diplomatic cable shows how U.S. diplomatic officials shared sensitive intelligence with Shell to give the oil corporation unfair economic leverage in Nigeria. Another series of cables illustrate how diplomatic officials successfully squashed a proposed increase in the Haitian minimum wage. Pressure from U.S. diplomats on Haitian officials enabled major American clothing companies like Levi's and Hanes to continue exploiting sweatshop labor in Haiti. Other cables show that Chevron executives worked in tandem with U.S. officials to avoid paying $18.2 billion in court-ordered damages after the energy giant acquired Texaco, which had dumped billions of gallons of waste in indigenous areas.

We know that many people who advocate for democracy and social justice by supporting PFC Bradley Manning have also attended #Occupy protests. Therefore, we've decided to put together this post explaining how you, as a supporter of PFC Manning, can help him while attending your local #Occupy protest.