Bradley Manning, a 23-year-old Army intelligence analyst, is accused of leaking a video showing the killing of civilians, including two Reuters journalists, by a US Apache helicopter crew in Iraq. He is also charged with sharing the documents known as the Afghan War Diary, the Iraq War Logs, and embarrassing US diplomatic cables, with the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks.  The video and documents have illuminated such issues as the true number and cause of civilian casualties in Iraq, human rights abuses by U.S.-funded contractors and foreign militaries, and the role that spying and bribes play in international diplomacy.

Not a single person has been harmed by the release of this information.  Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has called their affect on U.S. foreign relations “fairly modest.” Yet, Bradley faces 22 charges*, including “Aiding the enemy by indirect means,” for which a conviction could result in the death penalty or life in prison.

Although Bradley has not yet been tried, he has been held in solitary confinement since May 2010. He has been denied meaningful exercise, social interaction, sunlight, and has occasionally been kept completely naked. These conditions are unique to Bradley and are illegal even under US military law as they amount to extreme pre-trial punishment.

In March 2011, chief US State Department spokesperson PJ Crowley called Bradley’s treatment at the Quantico, Virginia Marine Corps brig “ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid.” He was forced to resign within hours!

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