Amnesty speaks out on Bradley Manning's prison conditions

Since last May, Private First Class Bradley Manning has been held in a 6-foot by 12-foot prison cell at the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia. He is accused of being the source of the classified U.S. government documents that Wikileaks has been sharing with the world, but he still awaits his day in military court.

The prison conditions, as described by Manning's attorney, David E. Coombs, seem to me like cruel and unusual punishment -- especially when you consider that he is not dangerous and has not yet been convicted of any crime.

Manning is in solitary confinement. He cannot keep any personal items in his cell. And he is not even allowed to exercise in his small quarters.

Now the Nobel-Prize-winning human rights group Amnesty International is taking on Manning's case. Last week, Amnesty wrote to U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, calling for the restrictions on Bradley Manning to be reviewed.

Susan Lee, Amnesty's Program Director for the Americas issued the following statement:

"We are concerned that the conditions inflicted on Bradley Manning are unnecessarily severe and amount to inhumane treatment by the US authorities.

"Manning has not been convicted of any offense, but military authorities appear to be using all available means to punish him while in detention. This undermines the United States' commitment to the principle of the presumption of innocence.

[...]

"The repressive conditions imposed on Manning breach the US's obligations to treat detainees with humanity and dignity.

"We are also concerned that isolation and prolonged cellular confinement, which evidence shows can cause psychological impairment, may undermine Bradley Manning's ability to defend himself."

>> Read more on this case from Amnesty International.

>> Read the letter to Secretary Gates. (PDF)