FREE BRADLEY MANNING!   DROP ALL CHARGES NOW!

Friday 16 March, 5pm: VIGIL at US Embassy, Grosvenor Square, London W1

Dear friends,

On March 15 & 16, supporters of Bradley Manning will demonstrate at Fort Meade, Maryland, when Bradley appears for a motion hearing. This is a preliminary hearing at which the date of his court martial is expected to be set and the witnesses will be decided.

In the UK on Friday 16 March there will be a vigil organised by London Catholic Worker & Veterans for Peace UK outside the US Embassy, which we urge everyone to join.

Payday men’s network & Queer Strike

Who is Bradley Manning?

He is the gay US soldier accused of leaking hundreds of thousand of documents to Wiki Leaks, including the shocking “collateral murder” video of a US helicopter gunship crew killing twelve Iraqi civilians, including two Reuters journalists, and severely wounding two young children.   

Court Martial

Bradley Manning is being tried by a military court. The prosecution is calling for a sentence of life in prison. 

So far Bradley has not lodged a plea and must be considered innocent.  Whoever leaked those documents did their duty to expose war crimes under the principles established at the Nuremberg war trials against the Nazis after War World 2.  He or she is a hero of the world’s 99%, deserving our praise, honour and support.  It is the war criminals, beginning at the top of the chain of command, who should be jailed.

Can Bradley Manning get a fair trial? Certainly not after President Obama, commander in chief of the US Army, publicly declared that he “broke the law”.  It is inconceivable that the military judges are not influenced by their commander’s statement.  Almost all witnesses for the defence were disallowed at the pre-hearing in December.  This is a show trial attempting to silence all whistleblowers.  We must defend him from this persecution. 

International protests

Grassroots’ support for Bradley has been growing worldwide – hundreds of actions have taken place since his arrest in 2010.  

Concerns about Bradley Manning have been raised by human rights organizations and parliamentarians internationally.

  • Juán Méndez, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture has formally accused the US government of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment towards Bradley Manning.  The Bradley Manning Support Network urges everyone to call the top Pentagon Attorney Jeh Johnson and tell him to allow Juán Méndez to see Bradley in private.

  • UK Parliamentarians have signed two Early Day Motions in Bradley’s support: EDM 1624 & EDM 2540.  Bradley’s mother lives in Wales and he spent some years there as a teenager.  He is a British citizen by descent.

  • In November, 64 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) signed an open letter to Obama, the US Senate & Congress, the Secretary of Defence, and the Chief of Staff condemning the treatment of Bradley Manning.  So far there has been no reply.

  • The Movement Parliamentary Group of the Icelandic Parliament nominated Bradley Manning for the Nobel Peace Prize.

We urge all activists in the movements of refuseniks, veterans, whistleblowers, prisoners, lgbtq people and the women’s movement – in fact EVERYONE IN THE 99% who supports justice -- to mobilize in defence of Bradley Manning.

Invest in caring, not killing! Refusing to kill is not a crime!

Bradley Manning – No case to answer.  Drop all charges.  
Free Bradley Manning now.

Sign this petition sponsored by Occupy and anti-war protester, and Veteran, Scott Olsen.  
It asks Leon Panetta, US Secretary of Defense, to allow the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juán Méndez, access to visit Bradley Manning so that he can properly investigate and report on the abuse.  The petition already has almost 20,000 of the 25,000 needed signatures.  Please add your voice.

Payday men's network payday@paydaynet.org  +44 20 7209 4751  www.refusingtokill.net

Queer Strike (Lesbian Bi Trans Queer in the Global Women’s Strike)
queerstrike@queerstrike.net  +44 20 7482 2496