update on Manning's torture

[Entropy]

Just a couple of points of information:

1. Manning would not be put into "general population" while in a pretrial status. Personnel in pretrial confinement are generally required to be held separately from convicted prisoners and in a large brig (like quantico) there is a separate area for just that purpose.

2. A few months before Manning arrived at the Quantico Brig, a Marine in pretrial confinement committed suicide at the brig. To me it seems only natural that brig personnel would take no chances of a repeat so soon after a suicide, especially a high-visibility confinee like Manning.

Of course, there's a risk in that. Whatever one's opinion on Manning, I think he will have a case for an article 13 violation. It's going to get brought up in court for certain and will be decided there and it will also be looked at on appeal should he be convicted. There's some appellate case history (PDF file, article 13 stuff begins on page F-10) that indicates to me (as a non-lawyer) that he might receive some credit.

Edit: Adding this from Manning's lawyer's blog:

The order to keep PFC Manning under these unduly harsh conditions was issued by a senior Quantico official who stated he would not risk anything happening “on his watch.” When challenged by a Brig psychiatrist present at the meeting that there was no mental health justification for the decision, the senior Quantico official issuing the order responded, “We will do whatever we want to do.” Based upon these statements and others, the defense was in the process of filing a writ of habeas corpus seeking a court ruling that the Quantico Brig violated PFC Manning’s constitutional right to due process.

"not on my watch" sounds to me like they aren't going to take any chances on another suicide....