Julian Assange: The Rolling Stone interview

By Michael Hastings, The Rolling Stone. January 18, 2012

…When I arrive for my last day with Assange, I’m 45 minutes early. Most of his staff have gone home for the holidays, and he’s alone in the house with only his personal assistant to keep him company. Assange is huddled over a laptop in the dining room he has turned into his office, monitoring what has become his sole focus over the past few days: the trial of Bradley Manning, the 24-year-old Army private alleged to have provided the diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks. Assange has two lawyers representing him in the Maryland courtroom, and his name has been mentioned virtually every day during the initial hearing. The government’s strategy, it has become clear, is to pressure Manning to implicate Assange in espionage – to present his work at WikiLeaks as the act of a spy, not a journalist…

Why is WikiLeaks so focused on defending Bradley Manning?

Manning is alleged to be one of our sources, regardless of whether those allegations are true or not. He has now sat in various U.S. military prisons for the past 600 days as a result of what we published. So we feel that we owe him a duty of care. I have heard from people close to his defense that it is their view that the abuse of him was in order to get him to testify against us…

And they’re going after Manning, who is facing a life sentence, to get him to say that you’re a spy?

To be another chess piece on the board in the attack on us. The U.S. government is trying to redefine what have been long-accepted journalistic methods. If the Pentagon is to have its way, it will be the end of national-security journalism in the United States.

Read the complete interview at The Rolling Stone’s website

Defense discovery request regarding damage assessments

By David Coombs, attorney for Bradley Manning at armycourtmartialdefense.info. January 20, 2012

The defense filed another discovery request today seeking information regarding the numerous damage assessments completed by the government. Thus far, the government has failed to provide this information to the defense.

Government continues to deny access to key witnesses

By David Coombs, attorney for Bradley Manning at armycourtmartialdefense.info. January 18, 2012

Earlier today, Colonel Carl R. Coffman Jr., denied the defense’s request to conduct oral depositions of nine essential witnesses. These same witnesses were requested by the defense at the Article 32 hearing, but denied by Lieutenant Colonel Paul Almanza. Each of the requested witnesses would have testified concerning whether the charged information was or was not classified and whether there was any harm to national security from this information becoming public.

Colonel Coffman determined that the difficulty, expense, and/or effect on military operations outweighed the significance of the expected testimony. This determination is difficult to comprehend given the nature of the charges against PFC Manning. Today’s decision is yet another example of the government improperly impeding the defense’s access to essential witnesses.

Based upon Colonel Coffman’s decision, the defense intends to renew its request to depose these witnesses with the General Court-Martial Convening Authority, Major General Michael S. Linnington, and, if necessary, with the military judge.

Somerville MA activists for Bradley Manning

By Jillian Fennimore, Somerville Blog. January 19, 2012.

Freeman Z, Susan McLucas and Bob Bowes (from left to right) have been transforming Davis Square into Bradley Manning Square every Friday from 1 to 2 p.m. since September 2011, distributing literature, holding signs, speaking and collecting signatures in support of Army Intelligence Analyst PFC Bradley Manning, the alleged WikiLeaks whistle blower who has been in military custody for a year and a half for releasing secrets about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the infamous video, CollateralMurder.com.