Update 6/11/12: Reports on evidence evasion and damage assessments in Ft. Meade
Vigil outside Ft. Meade, June 6
Last week, Bradley Manning was in Ft. Meade, MD, for another motion hearing en route to court martial, which could now start as late as November or even January 2013. We published detailed notes from the courtroom from day one, day two, and day three. We’ll have shorter summaries of these reports shortly. We also featured reports of those who attended the vigil and hearing.
Many mainstream media outlets have allowed Bradley’s case, with hugely important implications, to fade out of the public discussion. NYT Examiner writes, “The last time a New York Times writer wrote anything substantive on [Bradley] Manning was on February 20 of this year,” though he’s had now four different motion hearings since, with several legal revelations arising.
However, those who do see the importance of Bradley’s case and the extreme efforts of the military to paint him as a traitor instead of a heroic whistleblower continue to cover his court appearances in Ft. Meade.
RT talked with the Support Network’s Zack Pesavento about the various damage assessments created in response to WikiLeaks, specifically those revealed by State Department testimony last week:
MSNBC hosted the Support Network’s David House to discuss the government’s crackdown on Manning and evasion in failing to provide essential documents:
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CodePink’s Jillian McCarthy, who attended the hearings in Ft. Meade, wrote of both the vigil outside the base and the legal proceedings inside:
Seeing him in person made me understand the gravity of what Manning did for his country. I cannot imagine doing something at my age that I knew was for the good of my country but that could very well lead to my death or life imprisonment.
The overarching theme throughout the hearing was the prosecution’s withholding of important documents and reports that would aid Manning’s defense team in strengthening his defense.
That withholding of evidence forced another 30-day delay on portions of the already protracted pre-trial schedule, pushing the court martial itself back at least another month. (Read more…)
"My name is Suzy. I am a professional artist living in Byron Bay, Australia. I support Bradley Manning because he showed great courage in sacrificing his personal freedom for an even greater freedom."
