We report again from Ft. Meade, MD, for Bradley Manning’s latest motion hearing. Day one revealed new emails the defense has gotten and others the defense is requesting from the prosecution. Some revealed that three-star General Flynn oversaw Bradley’s treatment.

By Nathan Fuller, Bradley Manning Support Network. August 28, 2012.

Courtroom sketch by Clark Stoeckley. Judge Denise R. Lind presiding over pre-trial motion hearings at Ft. Meade, Maryland. Defense lawyer, David Coombs representing Manning.

PFC Bradley Manning returned to Ft. Meade today for a three-day motion hearing, largely to prepare for defense lawyer David Coombs’ Article 13 motion to dismiss. Just last night, Coombs published on his blog today’s motion to compel the production of 1,290 Quantico emails relating to Bradley Manning’s confinement conditions there.

On July 26, at 7:50 PM and just hours before Coombs was scheduled to file the Article 13 motion, the Government sent him 84 emails from Quantico that it believed were “obviously material to the defense,” and which revealed that a three-star general had ordered Bradley’s punitive treatment. Coombs had no idea these emails existed, as the prosecution hadn’t looked at them for at least six months, and when he learned that there were actually 1,374 emails in all, he had to delay Article 13 litigation to request these emails.

But just this morning, the Government handed to Coombs about 600 emails on a compact disc. Coombs modified his discovery request to the remaining 700 or so emails.

Later, the Government updated the court on its fulfillments of its due diligence requirements: it had completed parts, but also needed another deadline extension. The defense requested more logistically convenient access to SIPRnet, which is the secure government network used to transmit classified information.

The bulk of the afternoon featured the discussion about Quantico emails, the prospective testimony of mental health professionals, and proposals regarding a potentially closed session. When we came back from an afternoon recess, David Coombs shook each supporters’ hand, thanking each for coming to show support for Bradley.

The discussion of emails was most revelatory: we learned Gen. Flynn, a three-star general far removed from the Quantico brig, ordered and continued to direct Bradley’s brutal and unlawful treatment.

We’ll return tomorrow morning at 10 AM, and we should have an updated trial schedule by Thursday.

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