A month to make a difference

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Two important weeks to support the Iraq War whistleblower Some dates you just don't forget. Sign the petition urging President Obama to pardon Chelsea Manning! Three years ago, in October of 2010, WikiLeaks shocked the world when it published the “Iraq War Logs,” a comprehensive database which contained thousands of records detailing abuse and corruption during the war in Iraq. These documents were revealed by Chelsea Manning, who has been sentenced to 35 years at a Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, prison. The documents that Chelsea Manning revealed via WikiLeaks uncovered crimes that were committed by both the Iraqi government and the U.S. military with the knowledge of top Pentagon officials. They describe how thousands of innocent Iraqis were targeted for their religious or political beliefs, then detained and tortured in prisons operated by the Iraqi government. These same documents reveal acts in which U.S. soldiers abused and killed Iraqi civilians, and have yet to be held accountable. The documents even revealed to the public how U.S. forces helped teach the Iraqi military interrogation methods that have been banned by the UN as torture. For the sake of the millions of civilians and the thousands of soldiers who have suffered in this unnecessary war, we ask that you remember the date that the public gained access to this information and take action to support Chelsea and her goal of bringing transparency to government. You can do this by contributing a letter to the official application for clemency that is being sent to Convening Authority Major General Jeffrey S. Buchanan. He is one of two people with the power to free Private Manning now, along with President Obama. There is precedent for convening authorities to reduce or eliminate the sentences of soldiers in cases where they have been convinced that the court martial did not deliver justice. Given the numerous injustices in Private Manning’s case, we believe that Major General Buchanan should demonstrate leniency: Manning was imprisoned for three years before trial (including one year of solitary confinement); motives of conscience were not considered as an important factor by the judge; shockingly, the prosecution was even allowed to change their charge sheet after presenting their case. Please follow these guidelines to write a letter. If you have already done so, please encourage at least three of your friends to do the same. For those looking to take further action, we encourage you to organize a letter-writing party, which you can register on the Events Section of our website. All letters should be scanned electronically and PDF versions should be sent to nathan@bradleymanning.org by November 1. As we remember the tragedy of the Iraq War, in many ways made clearer by the release of the war logs themselves, we must seize this opportunity to show support for PVT Manning and her work to bring much-needed transparency to international relations. Only through working together with adequate information can people of the world prevent history from repeating. Thank you for your support. Help us continue to cover 100% of Pvt. Manning's legal fees! Donate today.