July, 18 2013, 04:25pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7413 5566,After hours: +44 7778 472 126,Email:,press@amnesty.org
Bradley Manning: US 'Aiding the Enemy' Charge a Travesty of Justice
The decision by the US military judge not to drop the charge accusing Private Bradley Manning of "aiding the enemy" is a travesty of justice, Amnesty International said today. If he is found guilty of the charge, he faces a possible life sentence in military custody with no chance of parole.
WASHINGTON
The decision by the US military judge not to drop the charge accusing Private Bradley Manning of "aiding the enemy" is a travesty of justice, Amnesty International said today. If he is found guilty of the charge, he faces a possible life sentence in military custody with no chance of parole.
"The charge of 'aiding the enemy' is ludicrous. What's surprising is that the prosecutors in this case, who have a duty to act in the interest of justice, have pushed a theory that making information available on the internet - whether through Wikileaks, in a personal blog posting, or on the website of The New York Times - can amount to 'aiding the enemy'," said Widney Brown, Senior Director of International Law and Policy at Amnesty International.
To prove the charge that Manning has "aided the enemy," the US government has to establish that he gave potentially damaging intelligence information to an enemy, and that he did so knowingly, with "general evil intent".
The prosecution's own witnesses repeatedly told the court that they found no evidence that Manning was sympathetic towards al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups, that he had never expressed disloyalty to his country, that they had no evidence that he had ties to any government other than his own.
"It's abundantly clear that the charge of 'aiding the enemy' has no basis and the charge should be withdrawn," said Widney Brown. "This makes a mockery of the US military court system.
Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all. Our supporters are outraged by human rights abuses but inspired by hope for a better world - so we work to improve human rights through campaigning and international solidarity. We have more than 2.2 million members and subscribers in more than 150 countries and regions and we coordinate this support to act for justice on a wide range of issues.
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Right-Wingers Plot to Give Trump Control Over Federal Reserve If Reelected
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The Journal reported Thursday that "several people who have spoken with Trump about the Fed said he appears to want someone in charge of the institution who will, in effect, treat the president as an ex officio member of the central bank's rate-setting committee."
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Due to Trump attorney's concessions in Supreme Court oral argument, there's now a very clear path for DOJ's case to go forward.\n\nIt'd be a travesty for Justices to delay matters further.\n\nJustice Amy Coney Barrett got Trump attorney to concede core allegations are private acts.\u2b07\ufe0f— (@)
According to NBC:
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