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Because the public deserves the truth and whistle-blowers deserve
protection.
We are military veterans, journalists, educators, homemakers, lawyers,
students, and citizens.
We ask you to consider the facts and free US Army Pvt. Chelsea (formerly
Bradley) Manning.
As an Intelligence Analyst stationed in Iraq, Pvt. Manning had access to some
of America’s dirtiest secrets--crimes such as torture, illegal surveillance, and
corruption—often committed in our name. Manning acted on conscience alone, with
selfless courage and conviction, and gave these secrets to us, the public.
“I believed that if the general public had access to the information
contained within the [Iraq and Afghan War Logs] this could spark a domestic
debate on the role of the military and our foreign policy,” Manning explained to
the military court. “I wanted the American public to know that not everyone in
Iraq and Afghanistan were targets that needed to be neutralized, but rather
people who were struggling to live in the pressure cooker environment of what we
call asymmetric warfare.”
Journalists used these documents to uncover many startling truths. We
learned:
Donald Rumsfeld and General Petraeus helped support torture in Iraq.
Deliberate civilian killings by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan went
unpunished.
Thousands of civilian casualties were never acknowledged publicly.
Most Guantanamo detainees were innocent.
For service on behalf of an informed democracy, Manning was sentenced by
military judge Colonel Denise Lind to a devastating 35 years in prison.
Government secrecy has grown exponentially during the past decade, but more
secrecy does not make us safer when it fosters unaccountability.
Pvt. Manning was convicted of Espionage Act charges for providing WikiLeaks
with this information, but the prosecutors noted that they would have done the
same had the information been given to The New York Times. Prosecutors did not
show that enemies used this information against the U.S., or that the releases
resulted in any casualties.
Pvt. Manning has already been punished, even in violation of military law.
She has been:
Held in confinement since May 29, 2010.
Subjected to illegal punishment amounting to torture for nearly nine months
at Quantico Marine Base, Virginia, in violation of the Uniform Code of Military
Justice (UCMJ), Article 13—facts confirmed by both the United Nation’s lead
investigator on torture and military judge Col. Lind.
Denied a speedy trial in violation of UCMJ, Article 10, having been
imprisoned for over three years before trial.
Denied anything resembling a fair trial when prosecutors were allowed to
change the charge sheet to match evidence presented, and enter new evidence,
after closing arguments.
Pvt. Manning believed you, Mr. President, when you came into office promising
the most transparent administration in history, and that you would protect
whistle-blowers. We urge you to start upholding those promises, beginning with
this American prisoner of conscience.
We urge you to grant Pvt. Manning’s petition for a Presidential Pardon.
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