Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) told MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer during an interview today that Bradley Manning’s treatment at MCB Quantico raises serious questions about the Pentagon and US Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates.

“This is an American soldier who’s held in an American prison, and he’s been treated in a way that clearly violates his human rights,” Kucinich began this afternoon. “And this is being done, and apparently this is okay with the Pentagon.”

Kucinich had reiterated his demand to be allowed to visit PFC Manning in the Quantico Brig on March 4, when he released responses he had received from Secretary Gates and John McHugh, Secretary of the Army, that have stonewalled his requests since February 2nd.

Kucinich considers Manning’s current prison restrictions, which force him to strip naked before bedtime and remain so until just after a five a.m. wakeup call, a violation of Section 2-22.3 (FM 34-52) of the US Army Field Manual. This section prohibits forcing detainees to be naked in conjunction with intelligence interrogations. Kucinich went on to state:

It appears they’re trying to break him. I mean, this is not defensible. There is no way, stretch of the imagination that this could be allowed or that this should be happening in America. I’d like to see any prisoner, anywhere in this country, who’s being subjected to that where there wouldn’t be cries of outrage by the public. Everyone’s presumed innocent until proven guilty.

And I just want to say one thing, if I had a chance to talk directly to Secretary Gates. He’s at the end of his career, Secretary Gates. It would be a shame to have a blot on his record which suggested that he suborned human rights violations. There will be consequences under the law for Secretary Gates for continuing to be complicit in the way this soldier is being treated.

Kucinich seemed to direct his comments to the American public at the end of his interview. “We have to start asking ourselves, why isn’t our government leveling with us about people who are trying to get the word out about what’s happening? I don’t have any position on Mr. Manning’s guilt or innocence, but the way he’s being treated raises questions about the Pentagon and about Secretary Gates.”

Congressman Kucinich believes that Bradley Manning’s current confinement conditions may be a violation of his 8th Amendment rights under the US Constitution. The US Army and the US Marine Corps is not exempt from the rule of law.

Join the Bradley Manning Support Network in our demand for humane treatment for Bradley Manning. Contact President Obama now — it only takes a few moments from your web browser.

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David Edwards of The Raw Story posted this story earlier today. Visit his article to watch the full MSNBC segment with Congressman Kucinich.