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WikiLeaks Gives $15k To Bradley Manning Defense
wiredmikey writes "The Web site supporting Bradley Manning, the Army soldier charged with leaking a massive number of US classified information to WikiLeaks, posted an announcement on its site today, saying that WikiLeaks had transferred $15,100 to the legal trust account of Manning's attorney. WikiLeaks has been publicly soliciting donations specifically for the expenses of Manning's legal defense following his arrest in May 2010. The contribution by WikiLeaks brings the total funds raised and transferred to Bradley's civilian legal defense team, led by attorney David Coombs, to over $100,000. Supporters say that a 'vigorous defense' for Manning is estimated to cost $115,000."
The reason i say that is they may be able to use this in their espionage attempts. Meaning if he was given the info without asking for it, its one thing, but if he asked for it, than he can be tried under the espionage act (assange)
Now that they are giving him money for legal defense, a good lawyer can say that it shows that they were in fact working together. IANAL btw
have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
Is $15k a significant chunk of change for WL or is it less than a day's allocation of the hookers and blow funds? How much of what has been donated to WL specifically for this cause is $15k?
Manning is fucked no matter what basically. The UCMJ doesn't have a "Because I though it should be released," exception to the rules on classified materials. Also, as implied by the UCMJ thing, he'll be court-marshaled which means tried by a military court. Trying for nullification by a sympathetic jury is more or less impossible.
His case is pretty open and shut when you get down to it. I can't see what an expensive defense will do for him.
Technically, WikiLeaks did nothing wrong (according to what you can find publically). Now that they are assisting him, as another person stated, it shows that they are working together. That is very bad for WikiLeaks. Unfortunately, Manning did commit a crime whether we like it or not. Whether it was for the good or not, it is still a crime. WikiLeaks needs to slow their roll before they get themselves in some trouble (and rest assured, there are lawyers waiting for WikiLeaks to slip up on something). WikiLeaks is a pretty cool place to get some information, but if they keep slipping by donating to people like Manning, they may be giving places reasons to take them down, which sucks.
The world is how you make it
A token amount, just for appearances. The simple fact is that WikiLeaks no longer needs Pfc Manning, and the handwriting is pretty much on the wall for him, anyway. The best he can expect is a dishonorable discharge and a short stay at USDB in Leavenworth. Giving him any more would be a waste of resources they may need to defend Assange in Sweden.
Wikileaks should operate like a newspaper and Not be involved with defending the informants. Now they can be accused of colluding with the guy who stole US documents. Wikileaks should just be REPORTING the documents, and nothing else.
They just shot themselves in the foot.
FOX NEWS.com should be BANNED from television and internet. Have the Congress take it over and give us Truespeak.
Due Process? How, pray tell, has he been deprived of due process? He's in pre-trial confinement, awaiting his GCM.
I do not read or respond to AC's. If you want a discussion, log in. Otherwise, don't waste your time.
For one thing, the complete lack of any mention of Area 51 or the JFK assassination shows that the US Military Industrial complex is even more secretive than we thought!</sarcasm>
He gave up the right to due process when he volunteered for the Army. Now he is subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and trial by a military tribunal.
Want to keep your Constitutional Rights for when you break the law? Don't volunteer for the farking Army.
Well, he is already being punished; it is to the point where he has to be given antidepressants just to be kept alive. He is not allowed to have bedsheets, last I checked (I assume this is because he might try to hang himself). He has been in solitary confinement for many months now, which is extremely difficult to endure and which can have long lasting or even permanent effects on people.
I suppose there might be some disagreement on the meaning of "right to a speedy trial" or "due process," but I am a bit confused as to how the treatment of Manning passes constitutional muster. I understand that he is subject to military law, not civilian law, but it is still troubling.
Palm trees and 8
He will face a court martial, but this isn't a capital offense. Individuals that have been caught and convicted of providing information like that in the past have faced long prison terms. There's a spy still in prison since the mid 80s for spying on the US for Israel.
Sure he'll likely spend decades behind bars, but he's not facing any capital charges here.
What money? The money that Paypal is sitting on or the money that Mastercard won't allow to be donated?
Military Prisons are pretty much controlled environments. It's prison with the bonus of having military rules applied to it.
Rather than taking near minimum wage prison guards, military prison guards are hand picked from Military Police MOS from all the branches and have low guard to prisoner ratios, Navy Brigs are like 1 guard for every 1.75 prisoners, vs 1 guard for 250 prisoners in many state prisons.
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/justicelawlegislation/a/leavenworth.htm
I had a buddy from High School who did a tour there as a guard, said they were the most squared away prisoners he'd ever seen.
Unless whoever you're donating to is on one of the secret government terrorist lists, or a front for terrorists, or might possibly theoretically maybe help someone who turns out to be connected to a terrorist.
Then donating money is illegal and grounds for having your entire bank account seized.
If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
That's standard practice, and it's for his own good. Just because he's being held pre-trial doesn't mean that the other inmates aren't going to stab him to death before the trial. Surprisingly enough not all crimes are equal in terms of inmate treatment.
Of course he's depressed, whether he's innocent or not, the prospect of facing a long prison term is inherently depressing. Being innocent does not ensure that you won't end up doing time.
Also, speedy trial, doesn't preclude a thorough investigation, the provision was there to ensure that the government didn't endlessly delay a trial while doing a superficial investigation. Seeing as this is a complicated case and they're still doing legitimate investigation that provision shouldn't come into play.
There's a spy still in prison since the mid 80s for spying on the US for Israel.
Jonathan Pollard and Israel keeps asking every administration to release him. Fortunately, even under Bush, that request has been denied every time.
I don't expect that to change under Obama either. The military and intelligence communities would go apeshit over his release. A U.S. citizen who spied for a foreign country who gets rewarded for the spying by being sent to the country who spied for and who would treat him a hero. Yeah, that would go over well.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Here's what they can do to get Assange, and part of the reason his organization is paying some of Manning's legal bills :
After giving Manning 'protective solitary confinment' (aka coercive torture) for enough time, they'll get Manning to claim that Assange and him worked together to get those government documents. Manning will be offered a deal for a limited amount of prison time if he serves as a 'government witness' against Assange. Given the last 7 months have been hell on earth for Manning, turning such an offer down would be incredibly difficult. Even if there is no actual communication logs showing this, the mere testimony of Manning (under duress) is a "witness statement" that a grand jury can use.
Once they get Assange dragged into U.S. custody, they can lock him up in jail for years while federal prosecutors file motions for extensions and things. Then, finally, they can give him a show trial where the jury is stacked with people who hate sex criminals. (even though Assange would not be accused of such crime, the jurors would think of him as a rapist).
Even if he were acquitted (the case as I outlined it is very weak) he would be out hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal defense fees and years off his natural lifespan. The Federal government cannot be sued to reclaim either of these things unless Assange were able to show that the government KNEW he was innocent. (which if they have a coerced statement from Manning, above, the government doesn't have to pay)
So in a nutshell : they can punish Assange severely for his actions even if they are never able to convict him of a crime. And imagine the mental anguish : Assange won't know for months or years during this process if he is going to be convicted and made to rot in prison for decades.
This kind of thing happens day in and day out in the U.S. We make more people rot in confinement than the worst despotic regimes in history. And there are many effective ways to get around the protections offered by your 'rights', making them nearly meaningless in practice.
In the military system, legal counsel is free of charge whether or not you can afford it. And with a high profile case like this, I'm sure they'll appoint someone very senior. If you want to pay for a civilian lawyer, usually they are former military lawyers, or they're not well suited for military court. I wouldn't donate to this even if you want to defend Bradley Manning.
He has his health closely monitored and is being tended to by Doctors, daily. Anti-depressants during solitary confinement seems prudent to keep him from suffering terribly, and considering the Adrian Lamo chatlogs I would say the Doctors would be negligent if they weren't medicating him.
Should they put him in with the general military prison population? He's not been found guilty. I don't think exposing him to stranger-danger-bad-touch is a smart decision.
He was arrested in May, charged in July. His trial is scheduled for this Spring. That sucks, but it doesn't appear to be abnormally slow considering the general speed of the US legal system. Perhaps the Military is different and you could comment on how fast his trial should be? How long is the minimum fair allotment of time for his lawyers to construct their defense?
Or do you just think that he should have been immediately taken out behind a shed and shot?
He has different processes due, not "no right to due process". See the UCMJ and MCM for reference.
"This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
In some countries, at least, torture is not part of "due process". The US is not one of those countries.
The kind of solitary confinement being used is torture even without the alleged sleep deprivation. This was realized by Charles Dickens; it's nothing new. So, "due process"?
Let's see, the 10-second Google search reveals the July 2010 charges:
He's been in pre-trial confinement for far longer than is standard (8 months and counting). The right to a speedy trial is part of his Sixth Amendment protections, which apply to military personnel under the UCMJ.
By comparison, Timothy McVeigh was kept confined for about 2 months prior to initial court proceedings, and trial started within 6 months.
I am officially gone from
You must be new here. Slashdot has moderation. If you're lost and looking for the "like" buttons, here's what you do: head over that way, take the second on the right, push your way through the crowds of teenagers, past the drunk party photos and lonely people clamoring for attention. There you will find facebook.
They cant, he did not technically do a treasonous act. I suggest you learn military law about Treason and not listen to idiots with the last name Palin.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
the difference in between apple fanbois and 'assangebois' is that, the latter is a show of support for people exposing uncomfortable truth. and the fact that there are morons who put two in the same basket, like you, is the explanation for why we are in this kind of mess on this planet in the first place.
Read radical news here
Weird, I use to work at a prison and there literally was a big yellow line with signs saying once you cross it certain constitutional rights went out the window. They arrested visitors almost daily with what would otherwise be an unlawful search.
Exactly where has PFC Manning been denied due process as defined under the UCMJ? Please cite the specific section instead of trying for sensational statements.
He has been denied a speedy trial and has suffered punitive treatment in pre-trial detention. This violates Article 10 UCMJ and R.C.M. 707.
How, pray tell, has he been deprived of due process?
Maybe you haven't heard the reports of the condition of his detention. It was written about quite extensively in December. Here's an article with a number of links.
He's also innocent until proven guilty. He "should be tried" should be your stance.
Dan
Due Process? How, pray tell, has he been deprived of due process? He's in pre-trial confinement, awaiting his GCM.
From: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/12/14/manning
From the beginning of his detention, Manning has been held in intensive solitary confinement. For 23 out of 24 hours every day -- for seven straight months and counting -- he sits completely alone in his cell. Even inside his cell, his activities are heavily restricted; he's barred even from exercising and is under constant surveillance to enforce those restrictions. For reasons that appear completely punitive, he's being denied many of the most basic attributes of civilized imprisonment, including even a pillow or sheets for his bed (he is not and never has been on suicide watch). For the one hour per day when he is freed from this isolation, he is barred from accessing any news or current events programs. Lt. Villiard protested that the conditions are not "like jail movies where someone gets thrown into the hole," but confirmed that he is in solitary confinement, entirely alone in his cell except for the one hour per day he is taken out.
We always knew Comcast was corrupt, here's the proof: http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1909890&cid=34545432
Probably solitary is for his own protection, and keeping him alive is the responsibility of the justice system, so if he's on suicide watch, that means being deprived of things he can use to KILL HIMSELF WITH.
That would be fine, except he's not on suicide watch. He hasn't been since the first 2 weeks or so of his confinement. The officers in charge of his detention said that he was a model prisoner.
The only thing troubling here is that this guy's so upset with his circumstances that he's trying to kill himself. Anything else stems from that fact.
I find the fact that he is not allowed to exercise in his cell "troubling". How does that help keep him alive? He also must respond every five minutes that he is ok. Have you ever tried reading a book or watching tv with someone asking you every 5 minutes if you are ok?
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/12/23/manning/index.html
Webster has no legal standing in the US Court system. The Constitution, on the other hand, does: "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court."
Manning was spying on America for Americans! He felt that the citizens needed to know what was being kept secret from them. The guy was sold a bill of goods about military service, and when he was in the thick of it he realized that he and everyone else had been lied to.
Blar.
Then how did they hide the trebuchet in the prison yard? Squared away, my ass .
I think you answered your own question. Ouch!
The military is pretty big on doing what you are told, following orders. While all orders must be lawful to be followed, there are not provisions for someone to say "Well it was a lawful order, but I thought it wasn't best for the American people."
Like it or no that is how it goes. He broke military law, and is going to go to jail for it. I'm not claiming it is right or wrong, I am claiming that it is what it is going to happen.
Yes I agree. His living conditions are hellish. I hope no one here argues it doesn't amount to torture.
In fact, it is long-term torture, lasting for close to a year now.
The man has yet to be sentenced. He should not be punished, especially not by long-term torture, in the interim.
Minimum security is plenty to hold him.
All the time. I'm a married man.
I'm not a coward by any name.
the exercise restriction and sleep deprivation part of his detention are where the due process is violated.
Jehovah be praised, Oracle was not selected
You might as well just light your money on fire. It would be quicker and less emotionally painful.
You'd be better off sending your money to a local group, because I'm pretty sure your leaders act the same as ours. You can believe otherwise if you like.
Tiger Blooded Bi-Winning Machine
Those aren't UFOs conspiracy noob. Those are craft built by a consortium of conglomerates and elites using stolen technology from aliens, and they will be used to facilitate the world-wide hoax called Project Blue Beam. Although this effort is being thwarted by another powerful group who are using their weather and earthquake weapons in a secret war.
This is common knowledge.
Tiger Blooded Bi-Winning Machine
The military and intelligence communities didn't seem to mind the recent release of Russian agents. Maybe they didn't transfer any valuable secrets, but they were working for Russia.
It's quite normal to do that; often in exchange for our spies there, which is what happened in this case. Spying for your own country is not treason; and there are accepted norms for how to treat foreign agents. Pollard, Walker, et.al. were Americans entrusted with our secrets and sold themselves out. That is very different than a foreign agent coming to the US to spy.
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
Read up on the conditions under which Manning is being held; it's not for his safety, it's psychological torture. Whether the goal is to break him so he'll say whatever they want, or just to leave him a ruined shell as a warning to the next person who might try to embarrass the U.S. government, there is nothing "standard" about prolonged solitary confinement, sleep deprivation, or denial of exercise. Convicted murderers and rapists are not dealt with this harshly; there's no way that an accused whistle-blower should be.
The requirement for a speedy trail is exactly in part so that the state can't implement the "sentence first, we'll have the trial later and figure out what he's guilty of then" strategy they are employing. Manning has been held for seven months; courts have generally held that delays longer that six to eight months are unconstututional. If the feds have a case, put it to the jury; if they don't, let Manning go.
Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
You cannot wash away blood with blood
... and that's really convenient, isn't it?
Fun fact: The US of A supposedly fights for human rights all over the world, but they don't even get it right where they are in control.