Posted by CODEPINK Staff
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SIGN THE PETITION >> Tell Defense Secretary Gates: Drop the "aiding the enemy" charge against Bradley Manning
Private Bradley Manning, a 23-year-old intelligence analyst with the US Army, stands accused of disclosing a classified video of American troops shooting Iraqi civilians from a helicopter, as well as the State Department cables that have helped bring transparency to governments and spark democratic uprisings in the Middle East and the war logs that have brought us the truth about war crimes committed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He has now been charged with "aiding the enemy" by the Department of Defense, a crime that is punishable by death.
If spared this cruel sentence, Manning would still face life in prison without parole. He is held inside his cell for 23 hours a day under constant surveillance. The conditions of his imprisonment recently sparked a probe by the UN special commision on torture.
The whistleblower behind the Vietnam era’s Pentagon Papers, Daniel Ellsberg, has called Mr. Manning a “hero,” yet this administration is bent on charging him with dozens of unjust charges.
We believe that without the efforts of people who risk prosecution to reveal the truth, the information we need to hold our government accountable may never be made public.
Join us in demanding humane treatment for Bradley Manning, and that this administration drop the unjust charge of "aiding the enemy."