(English) The online payment provider PayPal has frozen the account of Courage to Resist, which in collaboration with the Bradley Manning Support Network is currently raising funds in support of U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning. PayPal was one way people–especially international residents–were able to contribute to the grassroots effort supporting the accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower.

“We’ve been in discussions with PayPal for weeks, and by their own admission there’s no legal obligation for them to close down our account,” noted Loraine Reitman of the Bradley Manning Support Network (Support Network). “This was an internal policy decision by PayPal.”
Note: image courtesy of www.paypalsucks.com

(English) Rally at the Quantico Marine Base in Virginia to support accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower Army Pfc. Bradley Manning on March 20th! Supporters will gather for a 2pm rally at the town of Triangle (intersection of Main St. and Route 1), then march to the gates of Quantico. Bradley has been held at the Quantico brig in solitary-like conditions for six months. We stand for truth, government transparency, and an end to our occupation wars… we stand with Bradley! Event endorsed by the Bradley Manning Support Network, Veterans for Peace, Courage to Resist, CodePink, and many others. The day before, on Saturday, March 19th, in Washington DC, we will be joining the noon rally at Lafayette Park and march on the White House to “Resist the War Machine!”

(English) “Despite the assertion of Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell, PFC Bradley Manning is not being treated like every other detainee at the Quantico brig. Morrell stated during today’s Pentagon briefing that PFC Manning’s ‘confinement is not in the least different from the manner in which anyone else at the brig is being held.’ This statement is patently false,” notes Bradley Manning’s lawyer David Coombs on his blog. Coombs also explained that his client was the only detainee at Quantico held under the maximum custody regime or the highly-restrictive “prevention of injury watch” order.

(English) Bradley Manning’s attorney, David Coombs, posted on his blog today that he has filed an Article 138 complaint with the Quantico Marine Corps base command alleging that the commanding officer of the brig where Manning is being held abused his discretion in placing Manning on suicide watch for two days this week.

The move to put Manning on suicide watch status came the day after some 150 people protested outside the gates of the Quantico base demanding Bradley’s freedom. Mr. Coombs was quoted in the Washington Post as saying, “The fact that they won’t articulate any basis for it leaves you with no other conclusion than it must be punitive.”

(English) Julian Assange told Sir David Frost that he believes the torturous conditions of Bradley Manning’s imprisonment at U.S. Marine Base Quantico are designed to coerce Manning into testifying against him.

Assange was interviewed by Sir David Frost for Frost Over the World, Frost’s news program for the English AlJazeera network. In the interview, Assange related to Frost why he believed he was a target for prosecution by the United States. Assange stated that organizations who have been publicly “embarrassed” by WikiLeaks are trying to “save face” by pressuring potential WikiLeaks sources.