Snowdon is a dummy

Frank Apisa wrote:

What makes you think that Bradley Manning did not get a fair trial?

His treatment.

Quote:

The UN special rapporteur on torture has formally accused the US government of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment towards Bradley Manning, the US soldier who was held in solitary confinement for almost a year on suspicion of being the WikiLeaks source.

Juan Mendez has completed a 14-month investigation into the treatment of Manning since the soldier's arrest at a US military base in May 2010. He concludes that the US military was at least culpable of cruel and inhumane treatment in keeping Manning locked up alone for 23 hours a day over an 11-month period in conditions that he also found might have constituted torture.

"The special rapporteur concludes that imposing seriously punitive conditions of detention on someone who has not been found guilty of any crime is a violation of his right to physical and psychological integrity as well as of his presumption of innocence," Mendez writes.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/12/bradley-manning-cruel-inhuman-treatment-un

Stick to the facts, stop making assumptions and guesses.

Seem like you are supporting my position that we are going toward a totalitarian state in fact by your comments we are even further down the road in your opinion then I think we are as you are stating that the people no longer can effect the course of our government and all those who are unhappy can do is leave.

I see that the USA military and cops use tor, Bill

The very idea that someone who has been subject to torture can have a fair trial is nonsensical. Regardless of anything else, the torture invalidates the claim.

I realise you're not of the opinion he was tortured, but as far as opinions go I'll take the UN special rapporteur on torture's opinion over yours any day.

You're the one who is being rude, dismissing every thing I say as being down to an anti-American bias when I have been as critical of the British government's part in this whole shady business.

If you something offhand just so you don't have to examine it, don't be upset when you get called an ostrich. You dismissed the report of the UN special rapporteur on torture's opinion out of hand. Why not read it to get the expert opinion from the leading neutral international organisation? It's very easy to dismiss it as anti-Americanism so you don't have to deal with the truth.

I have based my arguments on facts, and as far as opinions go, expert ones.

"Shouldn't we be deterring people who commit torture?"

List of Torture Techniques Applied to Pfc. Bradley Manning:

1. Solitary Confinement/Isolation

Solitary confinement is strictly prohibited under international law. It is a cruel practice which causes permanent psychological damage. The impacts can range from hallucinations, emotional damage, delusions and impaired cognitive functioning to anxiety and depression. Solitary confinement is outlawed under the Convention Against Torture, ICCPR and the Geneva Conventions.

Manning was in solitary confinement in Kuwait and Quantico for nine months. He was in a cage (Kuwait) or a small, windowless cell for 23 hours a day. He was given 20 minutes of "sunshine call" each day, during which he could "walk" figure eights in restraints with guards holding him up. Eventually, he received 1 hour of recreation per day--still woefully below legal standards. His treating military psychologist, Col. Rick Malone, much to his credit, testified that

The ways he was being held was detrimental to his physical and mental health. His custody status was a stressor . . . He was taken of medications after several weeks because he was symptom-free. . .in complete remission . . .and posed no harm to himself or others.
2. Humiliation Techniques
Bradley Manning, being held alternatively in "suicide risk" and "prevention of injury" status (despite military psychologists testifying that he posed no risk of injury to himself or others) pointed out that

If I really wanted to kill myself, I could use my underwear.
Even though he was under 24/7 observation, the military took his underpants. At the routine count the next morning, he covered himself with the prevention-of-injury sandpaper blanket. An officer asked,
Detainee Manning, Is that how you stand at parade rest?
Manning requested clarification. He was soon standing completely naked for morning count. Forced nudity is used to induce feelings of humiliation and fear. Manning also had to request toilet paper any time he needed to relieve himself. This was supposedly an anti-suicide measure, which is belied by the fact that he was under constant surveillance.
3. Sleep Deprivation

Upon his initial confinement in Kuwait, Manning's days and nights were reversed, being awoken in the evening and kept up all night. Sleep deprivation is a very effective torture technique used by torturers because it makes a person more suggestible, reduces psychological resistance and it reduces the body’s capacity to resist pain. It had this very effect on Manning, causing him to have what has been described as an "anxiety attack" and "nervous breakdown." Once he was moved to Quantico, guards awakened Manning multiple times on multiple nights each week, and a flourescent light was always visible from his cell. The Committee against Torture (CAT) has noted that sleep deprivation used for prolonged periods constitutes a breach of the CAT, and is primarily used to break down the will of the detainee. Sleep deprivation can cause impaired memory and cognitive functioning, decreased short term memory, speech impairment, hallucinations, psychosis, lowered immunity, headaches, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stress, anxiety and depression...even though Manning was supposedly in restricted custodial status due to anxiety and depression.

4. Sensory Deprivation

Sensory deprivation is used to instil a sense of fear, disorientation and cause dependency on their captor. Sensory deprivation has also been attributed to increased pain sensitivity and increased psychological stress. The military confiscated Manning's glasses, without which he cannot see. So all of the isolation he endured, he did so while essentially blind.

5. Stress Positions

Manning was kept shackled in his cell. He was told he had to stand because he was still "on duty." If he sat, he was not allowed to lean against the wall or lie down. The strangest thing was the "tear-proof smock," which was really a nearly floor-length, rigid, abrasive rubber-and-foam straight jacket. Manning donned this restraint, which he often had to wear with nothing on beneath. Manning got stuck in this device, which was supposedly for his protection, and had to be extracted by guards.

These physically and psychologically abusive techniques were used to disorient Manning and induce regression, psychic disintegration, and feelings of helplessness that lowered his defenses. He would routinely go through perfunctory "wellness checklists," and didn't start advocating for himself until his amazing attorney, David Coombs, told him to start filing formal grievances contesting his conditions of confinement so he could exhaust his administrative remedies. (These formal grievances led to 3 sham "Classified & Assignment Board" hearing, which Manning testified had already decided to keep him on restricted status.)

These techniques were used not by rogue CIA thugs, but by the military--on someone in pre-trial detention, not found guilty to have done anything.

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO JESSELYN RADACK ON SAT DEC 01, 2012 AT 07:07 AM PST.

ALSO REPUBLISHED BY INHERENT HUMAN RIGHTS, BLOGGERS AGAINST TORTURE, AND OCCUPY WALL STREET.

TAGS

Manning got a fair trial. He may or may not have been mistreated beforehand...but to suppose that makes the trial suspect is an absurdity.

You're the one whose who argument is based on guesses and speculations. It doesn't matter how much evidence is placed in front of you, you'd rather live in a fantasy land. Well fair enough you do that.

While the memo’s account is sketchy, it suggests that, contrary to Snowden’s statements, he used an element of trickery to retrieve his trove of tens of thousands of classified documents: “At Snowden’s request,” the civilian NSA employee, who is not identified by name, entered his password onto Snowden’s computer terminal, the memo states.

“Unbeknownst to the civilian, Mr. Snowden was able to capture the password, allowing him even greater access to classified information,” the memo states.

The memo states that the civilian employee was unaware that Snowden “intended to unlawfully disclose classified information.” Nevertheless, by sharing with Snowden his personal “public key infrastructure” certificate -- a system of highly secure credentials that provided greater access to NSA’s internal computer system -- the employee “failed to comply with security obligations,” the memo states. As a result, the employee’s security clearance was revoked in November and the NSA has notified the Justice Department that he recently resigned. (A public key infrastructure certificate is a highly secure system of password and log-in exchanges designed to protect against unauthorized access to sensitive computer networks.)

The memo does not explain what actions the U.S. military member and the contractor took that caused them to lose their access to NSA facilities.

The Feb. 10 memo was signed by Ethan Bauman, the NSA’s director of legislative affairs. It was sent to the congressional committees after repeated questions from senior members about whether the NSA intended to hold any of its employees accountable for the security lapses that enable Snowden to gain access to massive volumes of classified documents that he later leaked to the news media

“Has anybody been disciplined at NSA for dropping the ball so badly?” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., demanded of NSA Director Gen. Keith Alexander at a Dec. 11 hearing. Alexander at the time replied that the agency had three “cases” that “we’re currently reviewing.” (An NSA spokeswoman Vanee Vines declined comment Wednesday night, writing in an email: “I don’t have anything for your story.”)

The question of how Snowden was able to obtain as much classified material as he did while working at a remote NSA station in Hawaii has been the subject of intensive investigation by the U.S. intelligence community for months.

Reuters reporters Mark Hosenball and Warren Strobel reported in November that Snowden used login credential and passwords provided “unwittingly” by colleagues at the Hawaii spy base. The Reuters report said Snowden “may have persuaded between 20 and 25 fellow workers” to give him their passwords. But the NSA never publicly commented on that report and Snowden appeared to deny it during a public Google chat on Jan. 23.

“Was the privacy of your co-workers considered while you were stealing their log-in and password information?” Snowden was asked during the chat.

“With all due respect to Mark Hosenball, the Reuters report that put this out there was simply wrong,” Snowden replied. “I never stole any passwords, nor did I trick an army of co-workers.”

Ben Wizner, a lawyer for the ACLU who represents Snowden, did not immediately respond to phone and email requests for comment.

“With all due respect to Mark Hosenball, the Reuters report that put this out there was simply wrong,” Snowden replied. “I never stole any passwords, nor did I trick an army of co-workers.”