Supporters demand Bradley Manning’s freedom. Police block them from approaching the DNC. (Photo: Mike Stewart/Associated Press)

If Judge Lind doesn’t drop Manning’s charges, Coombs calls for a sentencing cut. In a supplemental Article 13 motion to hold the military accountable for PFC Bradley Manning’s illegal and punitive conditions at Quantico, defense lawyer David Coombs has motioned to – in the event that Judge Denise Lind doesn’t drop the charges outright – cut Bradley’s sentence due to the treatment.

As The Guardian’s Ed Pilkington explains,

“Coombs argues that a stash of about 700 emails that have been disclosed to the defence reveal that military commanders in the brig completely ignored the professional advice of psychiatrists and other medical experts who had examined Manning and found him at no risk to himself and others. Instead, the commanders pressed ahead with harsh conditions that some critics, including the UN, define as torture.

On the back of the new information, Coombs has refined his demand to the military court in a reflection perhaps of his growing confidence in the evidence that he has amassed. He has repeated his call that in the light of Manning’s alleged mistreatment at Quantico all 22 charges against him should be dropped, but he now adds that at very least the soldier should have 10 days lopped off any sentence for each of the 265 days he was held in harsh conditions at Quantico. That amounts to just over seven years.”

The Article 13 motion will be argued at the November 27 – December 2 hearing at Ft. Meade. (Read more…)

Protests planned in at least 32 cities nationwide, September 6. Activists in 32 cities across the country prepare to rally for Bradley Manning at Obama campaign offices. Veterans and anti-war activists alike will deliver a letter to be forwarded to Obama’s national headquarters in Chicago On August 16,. protesters in Oakland, Portland, and elsewhere along the West Coast occupied Obama campaign offices to deliver the letter and bring attention to Manning’s plight. Eleven were arrested that day.

Click here to find a rally near you!

Hundreds protest at the Democratic National Convention for Bradley Manning. As with the anti-NATO demonstrations this year in Chicago, Bradley Manning featured prominently in protests of the DNC in Charlotte. Hundreds called for Manning’s freedom, and some were arrested in the process.

As the New York Times reports, Navy veteran and longtime Manning supporter John Penley was arrested, but he continued to demand freedom for the accused Army whistle-blower. (Read more…)