Because WikiLeaks releases attributed to Bradley Manning helped promote democracy in the Arab world and an end to the Iraq occupation, he is the people’s choice honoree for an international human rights award

By the Bradley Manning Support Network. April 2, 2012.

PFC Bradley Manning

In December, Glenn Greenwald wrote, “For what he is alleged to have given the world, Manning deserves gratitude and a medal, not a life in prison.” More and more human rights advocates are recognizing the transformative moral effect WikiLeaks releases have had due to, if he did what he’s accused of, the courage of Bradley Manning.

Members of the Icelandic parliament nominated Bradley for a Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year. Now Bradley has been named the People’s Choice Honoree for a human rights award.

Bradley received nearly 3,000 votes from advocates for transparency and accountability around the world, and he led the contest for its duration. We were able to garner a strong voting campaign with the help of an international network of supporters, spreading the message through social media. We’re turning that online dedication into physical support, with rallies and demonstrations for Bradley’s every court appearance, demanding his freedom and championing his bravery. The public supports Bradley, and with actions like this we can show the government that to send him to jail for exposing the truth would do a grave disservice to American democracy.

This statement accompanied the announcement:

We are proud to announce PFC Bradley Manning as this year’s People’s Choice Honoree. He received over 2900 votes.

It takes great courage to stand for what you know is right. Bradley Manning, a 24-year-old Army intelligence analyst, joined the Army at age 19.  Bradley is accused of leaking a video showing the killing of civilians, including two Reuters journalists, by a U.S. Apache helicopter crew in Iraq. He’s also charged with sharing the documents known as the Afghan War Diary, the Iraq War Logs, and embarrassing U.S. diplomatic cables, with the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks.  Journalists have credited the release of these documents with helping to motivate the democratic revolution in Tunisia as well as the final withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

Although Bradley has not yet been tried, he was held in solitary confinement for the first 10 months of his incarceration. If the military continues refusing to acknowledge Bradley as a whistleblower, he may become the first person in U.S. history to be convicted of “Aiding the enemy through indirect means,” a crime punishable by life in prison or the death penalty, for telling the public the truth.  Learn more about how to support Bradley at bradleymanning.org.

Global Exchange hosted the contest and will hold a ceremony to present the award May 10, in San Francisco.