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HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN group Amnesty International is calling on US authorities to immediately free Chelsea Manning, and to “urgently investigate” potential human rights violations exposed by the American soldier’s leaks of classified government information.
Manning is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence on espionage charges and other offences for passing along 700,000 secret documents, including diplomatic cables and military intelligence files, to anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks in the largest-scale leak in US history.
Previously known as Bradley Manning, she requested a name change after court-martial proceedings revealed the soldier’s emotional turmoil over sexual identity.
A US Army general denied clemency to Manning in April, upholding the 35-year sentence.
Today marks exactly one year since the former soldier was convicted on the espionage charges.
Amnesty
“It is an absolute outrage that Chelsea Manning is currently languishing behind bars whilst those she helped to expose, who are potentially guilty of human rights violations, enjoy impunity,” Executive Director of Amnesty Ireland Colm O’Gorman said.
The US government must grant Chelsea Manning clemency, order her immediate release, and implement a thorough and impartial investigation into the crimes she uncovered.
O’Gorman said that the US government appeared to have its priorities “warped” and that it was ”sending a worrying message through its harsh punishment” of Manning “that whistleblowers will not be tolerated”.
Manning’s attorney David Coombs wrote an open letter back in April asking President Barack Obama to grant clemency in the case.
He wrote that the former intelligence analyst had not received a fair trial, and called for the “excessive” sentence to be reduced.
“The information disclosed by PFC Manning was not our nation’s most vital secrets,” Coombs wrote.
The reality of the situation is that this information did not cause any real damage to our country.
Includes reporting from AFP
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If you sign up for the army you are subject to their rules and regulations. If you break said rules you will be held accountable and punished under the penal system. This is the world you sign up to. You cannot cry foul because you all of a sudden don’t want to be there.
Actually it’s was an order or that was the rules is not an excuse
Actually it is a valid defence.
Tell that to the nazis . If wrong is being done to blindly follow because it’s the rules is as guilty as the system then .
Maxwell, it’s your type of thinking that leads to war crimes being committed.
By Godwin’s Law I have won this argument. It’s nothing to do with the Nazi’s. This is a case of espionage. He stole secrets and released them. I’m not talking about whether he was right or wrong. I’m merely saying he knew what he was doing was wrong, he knew the consequences of his actions, he knew the punishment. Yet, he still committed the crime. Amnesty, have no place getting involved. It’s not illegal detention any treatment he suffers is that of the US Army Prison service.
It is all about weather she was right or wrong . If she was wrong to do what she did then punish by all means . But as I see it she was right to do as she did so punishment of any kind is unjust .
If the USA(I) were not breaking rules and regulations manning,would not have had anything to disclose or uncover in the first place but let’s forget all about that shall we.
Mark, much as I agree with your opinions on this in this last case right and wrong doesn’t come into it. It’s a legal issue…which is the only way societies can work as different people have different views of what is right and wrong. Laws are objective (or should be).
No I understand that . You speed it’s points . But say you are rushing someone very ill to hospital I believe no points should be given and on more than one occasion the ags give an escorts . It’s about the moral right and wrong that is the real issue here . Laws of the land should not punish those who take the right path .
In the end of the day, the army relies on integrity and following orders for a very valid reason. Failure to follow orders can very well get you or others around you killed. It’s likely that some of the documents released by Manning and Wikileaks regarding classified troop movements and deployments could have put the lives of soldiers in jeopardy.
You break ranks and refuse to follow orders, you get punished.
Laws should not allow the extremes that the us have gone to in intelligence gathering . They should protect and support the ordinary citizen . Right and wrong here are the big issue
Just one of the thins he helped to expose..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0I6S8mva-s
“Things”
The US army didn’t show much integrity when they shot those journalists that were waving a white flag on the ground.
From what little I know of the case, Bradley Manning’s intention behind the leaks was to punish the system that was mistreating him. It wasn’t for the greater good, it was revenge. He’s not quite the crusader people think he is. Just my opinion, open to other views on this.
Actually it was one of her first duties as a soldier to report War Crimes, when she witnessed it. I’d say she did her duty. To mankind
“Actually it was one of her first duties as a soldier to report War Crimes, when she witnessed it.”
But the fact of the matter is Manning didn’t witness anything. Manning bulk-released a massive amount of confidential documentation rather than reporting on any one incident or multiple incidents to her superiors.
This wasn’t whistle-blowing, it was embittered revenge.
And by God wins law you have lost.
If you sign up for the Gardai you are subject to their rules and regulations. Oops! Thankfully whistleblowers that protect democracy here are not languishing behind bars for 35 years, even if it did take a bit of time to sort it out. Whistleblowers need protection, not prison, how can exposing corruption be wrong? Only the corrupt would think it is, even if they are only morally corrupt.
The Garda whistle-blowers didn’t bulk-release confidential Garda files to a Swedish organisation, they followed the correct legal proceedings for calling attention to issues within the Gardaí.
Your comparison is quite frankly weak.
Doubtful. They were ignored by the system here until it was discovered by the media. What do you think would happen when you go the the authorities in the US? It was hard enough here for whistleblowers so I would think, given that the US puts them in prison, they would be ignored. Whistleblowers need to be protected, the US government does the opposite of protection.
Different system, different results. But both were abused by the authorities they were reporting on. Your lack of vision in the comparing of two different systems is quite frankly weak. As is your moral compass and sense of democracy. You’re like Brooks in The Shawshank Redemption, institutionalised.
Of all the crimes underway in the world right now, why Bradley. It wouldn’t be just because he’s T in the LGBT.
Christians are being beheaded and crucified, there is no outcry about Mosul, but Colm chooses Bradley for his primary concern. It is very convenient at times being director of Amnesty, it can help in ones own personal concerns/agenda.
Amnesty have reported on the persecution and violence against Christian’s. Organisations can have an opinion on more than one topic but I understand how that concept may be hard for you to grasp as iona et al seem to focus on one topic.
@ Bryan Whaley
Bryan, Amnesty is an international organisation set up to stand against torture worldwide. It has long lost its focus, is a supporter of torture of the unborn, ie. abortion, and uses its decreasing influence to promote personal agendas such as Bryan, who is not being tortured, and in jail for valid reasons.
It now sickens me to see Amnesty collecting on the streets to pay for their director to make comments like this article. People just don’t realise that they are not acting against torture, just supporting abortion and personal agendas.
There has been no article here from Amnesty, decrying the crucifixions last week, or the beheadings.
Not newsworthy obviously.
Amnesty just support abortion now, nothing else? A quick glance at their website suggests otherwise. Is your personal animosity with the head of amnesty got to do with the charity one in four which highlighted clerical sex abuse? Would you have been happier if people pretended it didnt happen? It sickens me how catholic lobby groups do not make their accounts available to the oireachtas. How much does the leader of youth defence pay herself?
@ Bryan Whaley
No, I’m afraid the international organisation is united in its support of abortion. When the internal coup occurred, liberal directors were appointed all around the world over branches of amnesty.
But it good to remind people to reconsider where their charitable dollars are being spent.
I’d love to support an international organisation against torture, but amnesty is not one.
I do dislike persons who abuse the brand “amnesty”, once a noble entity; to collect for and support such rubbish cases as above. I’m not worried about individuals and their reputations, just the real vulnerable in society, which Amnesty now only gives token support.
I don’t think Eric Snowdon is the T in LGBT and is also backed by amnesty so you’re argument is a little silly.
@ Colin Kavanagh
Try as I may, I can’t see any mention of Eric Snowdon in the above article.
So why is the article about the one LGBT person, exclusively, and not the myriad of deserving causes. Are some more equal than others, officially.
Because Paddy (see last sentence in article), Amnesty brought up her case to mark the one year anniversary of her arrest.
@ Colin Kavanagh
You are dredging the bottom of the barrel for excuses. Let me put it this way, did amnesty have an article on the first anniversary of Snowdons effective imprisonment. His arrest in no way constitutes torture or injustice in any acceptable legal way. Colm’s gift of media attention is exclusively because he played the transgender card following his arrest.
More absurd histrionics from Amnesty International. ‘She’ pleaded guilty to 10 charges and is lucky not to have been sentenced to death. Why should anyone give a fig about this incarceration? If you wear the boots of a soldier, you march to the tune of the army, Sir.
‘The charge of the light brigade’ comes to mind
Same could be said of politicians, yet we are aghast when they are corrupt. Daft statement. If you were a soldier and you were told to kill a child would you do it? Orders are orders. “I was following orders”, greatest defense at Nuremburg.
“She”? Why the double quotes???
Freak!
Tool
Can’t all be perfect like you Kay. Fortunately.
Shag off Kris!!
Well if you employee someone like Chelsea Manning ,
You are only looking for trouble.
In fairness he is a few sandwiches short of a picnic.
Why
Dermot is probably one of those people who for some reason has an opinion on transgender people
One has to wonder about the checks and balances in place in the U.S. military when a psychological basket case like Bradley Manning was allowed access to secret intelligence.
“Please release him let him go”…so he can get a decent haircut!!!
So pro Israeli antics and anti transgender. Your a wonderful specimen taxi bill. I wouldn’t call you for a lift though. I’d say you burn the ear off passengers.
If he had a grievance there are a set of regulations and procedures to follow. When he made contact with Assange he disregarded all the other legal avenues open to him. And with the assistance of Assange stole classified material and passed it to an unauthorized third party. And when arrested admitted to the charge and pleaded guilty in his Court Marshall to all the charges laid against him.
So I don’t see why he should be given special consideration.
have your say