Accused WikiLeaks Source, Now Accused of Aiding the Enemy, Was Left Naked in His Cell, Lawyer Says
The Army intelligence analyst accused of leaking secret information to WikiLeaks was forced to sit naked in his cell for seven hours on Wednesday, his lawyer says.
Pfc. Bradley Manning is being held at a Marine brig in Quantico, Va. His lawyer, David Combs, made the allegations in a post on his website, the New York Times reports.
“This type of degrading treatment is inexcusable and without justification,” Coombs wrote. “It is an embarrassment to our military justice system and should not be tolerated.”
A Marine spokesman told the Times that Manning’s clothes were taken under brig rules, and the action wasn’t punitive. “I can’t explain it to you without violating the detainee’s privacy,” said the spokesman, First Lt. Brian Villiard.
The government filed 22 additional charges against Manning on Wednesday. One of the new charges, “aiding the enemy,” is a capital crime, according to the Christian Science Monitor. Military officials have said prosecutors won’t seek the death penalty, but that could change based on the recommendation of the commanding general overseeing the trial, the story says.
