*Inaccurate image removed
US Army Private Bradley Manning, who has been held in connection with the leak of top secret US diplomatic cables published by internet whistle-blower, WikiLeaks, will soon be moved out of solitary confinement, reports said on Friday.
Officials at the high-security Fort Leavenworth military prison in Kansas said the decision allowing Manning to be housed along with fellow inmates came after he passed mental and physical assessments.
Earlier this month, Manning was shifted to Fort Leavenworth from the marine jail in Virginia. The move came in the wake of allegations that he was being confined to a prison cell for 23 hours and forced to disrobe regularly.
According to Fort Leavenworth Commandant, Lt Col Dawn Hilton, Pte Manning had been cleared to be held as a medium-security prisoner following lengthy assessments for all new inmates. Hilton said he would be treated like every other prisoner, with dignity and respect.
Manning will now be able to receive daily visitors and unlimited mail and his new 80 square feet cell has a bed, toilet, sink, desk and stool. Manning will also be allowed to communicate with 10 undertrials housed in the same compound. Besides, there will be three-hours recreation time daily which will be spent in the Library or outside the cell.
The Bradley Manning Support Network meanwhile, said it was heartening that conditions were indeed improving for Manning.
Private Manning who enrolled in the US Army in 2007, was first charged in May with 12 counts of unauthorized downloading a secret video of a US military operation, as well as leaking classified military and diplomatic files and cables, and also sharing them.
Later, new charges were slapped on him, including the use of unauthorized software on official computers for ferreting out secret information, which is punishable by death under the US Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Last year, WikiLeaks published troves of classified US official documents called Iraq War Logs and the Afghan War Diary, as well as secret US diplomatic cables dating back fifty years.
US officials have strenuously denied charges of Manning's ill-treatment. Last month, US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley was forced to step down over remarks critical of Pentagon's treatment of Manning.
Crowley's controversial remarks came during a speech at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on foreign policy and new-age media. On being asked about the alleged ill-treatment of Manning at a military prison, Crowley termed the Department of Defense's conduct in the matter as stupid.[/p]
Source
It's nice to hear he's out of the solitary confinement. Of course, we have yet to see the end of this.
US Army Private Bradley Manning, who has been held in connection with the leak of top secret US diplomatic cables published by internet whistle-blower, WikiLeaks, will soon be moved out of solitary confinement, reports said on Friday.
Officials at the high-security Fort Leavenworth military prison in Kansas said the decision allowing Manning to be housed along with fellow inmates came after he passed mental and physical assessments.
Earlier this month, Manning was shifted to Fort Leavenworth from the marine jail in Virginia. The move came in the wake of allegations that he was being confined to a prison cell for 23 hours and forced to disrobe regularly.
According to Fort Leavenworth Commandant, Lt Col Dawn Hilton, Pte Manning had been cleared to be held as a medium-security prisoner following lengthy assessments for all new inmates. Hilton said he would be treated like every other prisoner, with dignity and respect.
Manning will now be able to receive daily visitors and unlimited mail and his new 80 square feet cell has a bed, toilet, sink, desk and stool. Manning will also be allowed to communicate with 10 undertrials housed in the same compound. Besides, there will be three-hours recreation time daily which will be spent in the Library or outside the cell.
The Bradley Manning Support Network meanwhile, said it was heartening that conditions were indeed improving for Manning.
Private Manning who enrolled in the US Army in 2007, was first charged in May with 12 counts of unauthorized downloading a secret video of a US military operation, as well as leaking classified military and diplomatic files and cables, and also sharing them.
Later, new charges were slapped on him, including the use of unauthorized software on official computers for ferreting out secret information, which is punishable by death under the US Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Last year, WikiLeaks published troves of classified US official documents called Iraq War Logs and the Afghan War Diary, as well as secret US diplomatic cables dating back fifty years.
US officials have strenuously denied charges of Manning's ill-treatment. Last month, US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley was forced to step down over remarks critical of Pentagon's treatment of Manning.
Crowley's controversial remarks came during a speech at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on foreign policy and new-age media. On being asked about the alleged ill-treatment of Manning at a military prison, Crowley termed the Department of Defense's conduct in the matter as stupid.[/p]
It's nice to hear he's out of the solitary confinement. Of course, we have yet to see the end of this.
![bradley_manning[1].jpg](http://pix.gbatemp.net/172638/bradley_manning[1].jpg)
