Bradley Manning Supporters To Call For His Release

Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore, 325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski at verizon.net

 

PRESS RELEASE-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   December 15, 2011

 

Contact: Max Obuszewski [410] 366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net

 

BRADLEY MANNING SUPPORTERS TO CALL FOR HIS RELEASE

 

WHO: Bradley Manning, the army private accused of leaking classified information to Wikileaks, after close to 600 days of incarceration will finally appear in a military court, which will decide if he will face a court martial. If indeed Manning released the documents, he is a hero for blowing the whistle on U.S. war crimes and government alliances with despotic regimes in the Middle East and elsewhere.  

The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore, the Bradley Manning Support Network and other organizations first protested the private’s severe mistreatment while he was in the Quantico Marine Base brig in Virginia.  And now there is an organized effort to Free Bradley Manning.  

WHAT:  On March 20, 2011, for example, thirty three activists, including Daniel Ellsberg who released the Pentagon Papers, Col. [Ret.] Ann Wright, and Max Obuszewski with the Baltimore Pledge were arrested outside the entrance to the Quantico Marine Base in Triangle, Virginia. The arrests took place on Route 1 after a rally condemning the torture of Pfc. Bradley Manning, an alleged whistleblower, then imprisoned in the Quantico brig.  He was kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day at that time for a period of eight months and suffered other indignities.  

Next up are two rallies scheduled to coincide with Bradley Manning’s Article 32 pre-trial hearing. The first rally will occur as the hearing begins and be maintained until it concludes for the day.   The next day, supporters will march after a rally.  This march will go to the gate leading to the military courtroom before returning to the main gate.

 

WHEN:  Friday, December 16, 2011 from 8 AM to 2 PM

 

            Saturday, December 17, 2011 from noon to 3 PM

 

WHERE: Fort Meade Main Gate, Maryland 175 & Reece Rd, Fort Meade, MD 21113

 

On Saturday, march a mile to Llewellyn Ave. to gate which leads to the courtroom, and then march back to the main gate.  

WHY:  Pfc. Bradley Manning was mistreated so that a message could be sent to other soldiers not to expose U.S. misconduct, malfeasance and illegal activities.  The mistreatment stopped after citizens came together and publicly lambasted the government and military for such despicable behavior.  It is hoped that continued pressure from the citizenry can force the government to dismiss the charges against Manning. Should this case go to court martial, it is possible that details of more illegal government activities will be revealed.  

Manning’s legal proceedings may continue through December 17.  That day will mark the one-year anniversary of the death of Mohamed Bouazizi, the Tunisian man whose self-immolation initiated the Tunisian Revolution.  The diplomatic cables which Wikileaks released confirmed suspected corruption at high levels of the Tunisian government. The outrage over the circumstances surrounding Mohamed Bouazizi’s death was intensified after these revelations.  And the revolution in Tunisia was emulated and became the inspiration for the Arab Spring.

 

It can be argued that the Arab Spring also gave inspiration to people in the USA.  December 17 is the three-month anniversary for Occupation Wall Street.  This occupation caused outraged citizens to occupy public space in some 2,700 other cities.  

 

Regardless of what transpires at the Article 32 hearing or the court martial, the Pledge of Resistance–Baltimore and many other groups will continue efforts to Free Bradley Manning.  And these efforts are linked to the struggle to prevent Julian Assange, of Wikileaks, from being deported to the United States.  There is great fear that if Assange were brought to the U.S., he would be charged under the Espionage Act, which can carry a death penalty.

 

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"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs