Macbride Peace Prize awarded to Bradley Manning
Audio of award presentation featuring Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire
(17:45 min. MP3)
By the International Peace Bureau, Geneva. 19 July 2013
The International Peace Bureau is delighted to announce that this year’s Sean MacBride Peace Prize is to be awarded to Bradley Manning, the US whistleblower whose case has attracted worldwide attention, for his courageous actions in revealing information about US war crimes. His trial is likely to be concluded in the coming days.
Manning was arrested in May 2010 after allegedly leaking more than 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables, 400,000 U.S. Army reports about Iraq and another 90,000 about Afghanistan, as well as the material used in the “Collateral Murder” video produced by WikiLeaks: videos of the July 12, 2007 Baghdad airstrike and the 2009 Garani airstrike in Afghanistan. At the time, it constituted the largest set of restricted documents ever leaked to the public. Much of it was published by WikiLeaks or its media partners between April and November 2010.
Manning has so far been detained for three years — first in Kuwait, then in solitary confinement at the Marine Corps Brig in Quantico, Va., and finally at a medium-security military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. —before being charged with 22 offenses, including communicating national defense information to an unauthorized source and aiding the enemy. He pleaded guilty in February 2013 to 10 of the 22 charges, which could carry a sentence of up to 20 years. A full life sentence is now also possible.
IPB’s Co-President Tomas Magnusson comments: “IPB believes that among the very highest moral duties of a citizen is to make known war crimes and crimes against humanity. This is within the broad meaning of the Nuremberg Principles enunciated at the end of the Second World War. When Manning revealed to the world the crimes being committed by the US military he did so as an act of obedience to this high moral duty”. It is for this reason too that Manning has also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. In more general terms it is well known that war operations, and especially illegal ones, are frequently conducted under the cover of secrecy. To penetrate this wall of secrecy by revealing information that should be accessible to all is an important contribution to the struggle against war, and acts as a challenge to the military system which dominates both the economy and society in today’s world. IPB believes that whistleblowers are vital in upholding democracies – especially in the area of defense and security. A heavy sentence for Manning would not only be unjust but would also have very negative effects on the right to freedom of expression which the US claims to uphold.
Response from David Coombs, attorney for Bradley Manning
“I wish to thank the International Peace Bureau for awarding the 2013 Sean MacBride Peace Prize to PFC Bradley Manning. It is indeed a great honor to receive such an award, and for Brad to be considered to be in the same company as past recipients and the award’s namesake. It is my sincere hope that Brad will be able to receive this award in person someday soon.”
About the MacBride Prize
The prize has been awarded each year since 1992 by the International Peace Bureau (IPB), founded in 1892. Previous winners include: Lina Ben Mhenni (Tunisian blogger) and Nawal El-Sadaawi (Egyptian author) – 2012, Jackie Cabasso (USA, 2008), Jayantha Dhanapala (Sri Lanka, 2007) and the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (2006).It is named after Sean MacBride, a distinguished Irish statesman who shared the 1974 Nobel Peace Prize, and is given to individuals or organisations for their outstanding work for peace, disarmament and human rights. (details at: http://ipb.org/i/about-ipb/II-F-mac-bride-peace-prize.html)
The (non-monetary) Prize consists of a medal made in ‘Peace Bronze’, a material derived from recycled nuclear weapons components*. It will be formally awarded on Sept. 14 in Stockholm, at a special evening on Whistleblowing, which forms part of the triennial gathering of the International Peace Bureau. See brochure at:http://www.ipb.org/uploads/tbl_events_web/172/documents/Stockholm_brochure.pdf
*IPB is deeply grateful to the manufacturers of the medal: http://www.fromwartopeace.com/
Superb choice! We need to remove the (wet) blanket of “respectability” of those who commit war crimes and hold them up to scorn and ridicule and as rogue operators outside the realm of civilization. They apparently think Jesus was joking when he said “Blessed are the peacemakers!” The corollary to blessing the peacemakers is, of course, cursing the war-makers!
Now that’s what I call progress. Congratulations for everyone involved! Congratulations Bradley.
Such good news! It’s great that Bradley Manning’s courage has been recognized. Now, wouldn’t it be wonderful if he could go to Stockholm this September to pick up the medal himself……..
Bradley Manning is a superb choice and an exceptionally worthy candidate for the Peace Prize. Congratulations to Bradley Manning and everlasting gratitude to him for his outstanding and exemplary moral courage.
I am glad Bradley has been awarded this prize. We need more soldiers like him who exposed the crimes against humanity committed by the U.S. government.
Great news! Bradley Manning your actions were those of a courageous patriot for humanity and more and more people are seeing the truth of that. Now, hopefully, you will win the Nobel Peace Prize! You really deserve it!
It’s refreshing to see that in countries where Bradley Manning’s name hasn’t been vilified & demonized as it has been here in the U.S., he’s seen for what he is, a hero. It’s a travesty that our country with all of its secret spying operations aimed not overseas but inward onto it’s own citizenry, feel the need to pretend they’re just & democratic. We are a country of carefully crafted media illusions.
el juez corrupto grande
Fantastic Bradley is an American hero
I believe that Bradley is the real hero and not pumped up American drone operators. People like them make the west a target by aggrieved relatives. I’m disappointed in the president.
Brillant – reflecting the world-wide support for Bradley Manning. Hopefully will help enlighten the US military and politicians – war crimes are no longer acceptable.
May this be an important step in assuring that this heroic act is finally seen as such and the travesty of his military trial find him not only free of guilt, but indeed a hero worthy of the Nobel Prize, surely more worthy than one recent recipient who we know all too well! Congratulations Bradley!
It is quite true that freedom of expression must come first when it comes to war crimes. And it did in the case of B. Manning. It was a bold step in the right direction even though it was predictable as the regime would react in the White House.
The real war criminals of the American. Armed forces and his mercenaries from the company Academy Former Blackwater in Iraq however, have not tried, or held for three years without charge in solitary confinement intensified. In this respect, similarly to the case rotatably Snowden.
I am so very happy to hear this excellent news. I greatly fear Manning’s trial is going to end badly, because the very criminals he exposed are the ones trying him. But when they do their dirty work, the world will look on them with disdain and they will be shamed because they are abusing and violating the rights of a Sean MacBride Peace Prize recipient.
A fitting prize for a brave and humble man. I hope it opens the eyes of a country that has developed the habit of honoring its war criminals while imprisoning its heroes.
IPB THank you for the Medal to Bradley Manning. You said it all, now how can we stop our gov from doing these terrible autrosities to our soldiers and our gov ? Maybe there is a Plan , we will not let Bradley got down alone.
We thanks all the people fron IPB for honoring this heroic young man,who is an example of honesty and courage . Peace prizes in general are supposed to be given to those that earned,perhaps Nobel Peace Prize Organization should start thinking to whom it gives them to avoid continuing making mistakes that the last one.Other option could be taking them back and give it to the real peace makers,so it’s members can keep yet their reputation.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR HONORING BRADLEY MANNING!
Congratulations, excellent choice.
THANK YOU for awarding this prize to Bradley Manning, a true hero who has made tremendous personal sacrifice to do the right thing and expose war crimes.
Today, knowing the inhumane conditions he has endured, the defamation of character he has suffered, and the sacrifice he has made, it makes me ASHAMED TO BE AN AMERICAN CITIZEN because my government is so damn evil.
I am tired of the war machine running roughshod over human rights across the globe. THIS WICKED EVIL CALLED THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX HAS TO END! Thank you, IPB, and thank you, Bradley. I wish you the best, and please know that you have saved untold countless lives with your bravery.
Very good news. Excellent choice, and hope this award will mobilise lost more support.
Great to see he is being recognised for his brave and heroic actions. Yes,Whistlerblowers need to be protected against the faulty establishment they fight against.