open letter from members of the european parliamen1
TRANSCRIPT
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7/27/2019 Open Letter From Members of the European Parliamen1
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Open Letter from Members of the European Parliament
to President Barack Obama and US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
As Members of the European Parliament, who were elected to represent our constituents throughout
Europe, we are writing to express our concerns about the ongoing persecution of Bradley Manning, the
young U.S. soldier who released classified information revealing evidence of human rights abuses and
apparent war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The U.S. Army has charged Private First Class Manning with 21 different crimes, including Aiding the
Enemy; a capital charge. To convict a person who leaked information to the media of Aiding the
Enemy would set a terrible precedent. Although we understand the US government is not seeking the
death penalty for Bradley Manning, there would be nothing to stop this from happening in future cases.
As it is, PFC Manning faces the possibility of life in prison without parole, recently rejected as inhuman
and degrading treatment by the European Court of Human Rights.
On July 2nd , Army prosecutors closed their arguments in the case without having provided any real
evidence that Bradley Manning aided the enemy, or that he intended to do so. In his defense against
those charges to which he pleaded not guilty, PFC Manning was not permitted to bring any evidence of
motivation. And in a statement calling on the court to allow a public interest defense, Amnesty
International said that this was disturbingas he has said he reasonably believed he was exposing
human rights and humanitarian law violations. Moreover, the prosecution provided no evidence thatPFC Manning caused harm to U.S. national security or to US and NATO troops.
We agree with Amnesty International that the U.S. government should immediately drop the most
serious charges against PFC Bradley Manning, and that to charge Bradley Manning with aiding the
enemy is ludicrous a travesty of justice which makes a mockery of the US military court system.
Weve now seen the evidence presented by both sides, and its abundantly clear that the charge ofaiding the enemy has no basis, said Widney Brown, Senior Director for International Law and Policy at
Amnesty International. The prosecution should also take a long, hard look at its entire case and move
to drop all other charges that arent supported by the evidence presented.
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Rather than causing harm, Bradley Mannings release to WikiLeaks of the Iraq War Logs and the Afghan
War Diaries shone much needed light on those occupations, revealing, amongst other abuses, the
routine killing of civilians. The bleak picture painted by these war diaries contrasts greatly with the rosy
progress reports being provided to the public by military and political leaders. PFC Manning has said he
felt that if the American public had access to this information, this could spark a domestic debate on
American foreign policy as it related to Iraq and Afghanistan. Far from being a traitor, Bradley Manning
had the best interests of his country in mind.
The Iraqi people continue to suffer the consequences of this war, even after the withdrawal of foreign
troops, with millions of homeless refugees and the resumption of sectarian violence. Meanwhile, eleven
and a half years after the U.S invaded Afghanistan, that nation has yet to form a functioning democracy
or to free itself from the Taliban and fundamentalist warlords.
Bradley Manning: I felt that we were risking so much for people that seemed unwilling to co-operate
with us, leading to frustration and anger on both sides. I began to become depressed with the situation
that we found ourselves increasingly mired in year after year.
Bradley Manning was witness to the wrongdoing of the U.S. military. He says this troubled and
disturbed him. But instead of passing by on the other side like so many others, he acted in accordance
with international law and with a strong commitment to truth, transparency and democracy. He wrote
at the time that he hoped his actions would lead to worldwide discussion, debates, and reforms.
Bradley Manning also released information about the men who continue to be wrongly held in indefinite
detention at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo, Cuba. Over one hundred of these prisoners have been
carrying out a long, indefinite hunger strike, and 45 of them are being force-fed by U.S. soldiers. This
intolerable situation continues to undermine U.S. claims to promote freedom and democracy,
compromising the standing of the US in the world and diminishing US moral authority.
Bradley Mannings courageous action, for which he has three times been nominated for the Nobel PeacePrize, was an inspiration to others, including Edward Snowden, who recently revealed massive U.S.
government surveillance in the U.S. and also against European governments and citizens.
We are concerned that the U.S. administrations war on whistleblowers such as Edward Snowden and
Bradley Manning is a deterrent to the process of democracy in both the United States and Europe.
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We hereby urge you to end the persecution of Bradley Manning, a young gay man who has been
imprisoned for over three years, including ten months in solitary confinement, under conditions that the
UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez deemed cruel and abusive. Bradley Manning has
already suffered too much, and he should be freed as soon as humanly possible.
Signed,
Marisa Matias, Member of the European Parliament, Portugal
Christian Engstrm, Member of the European Parliament, Sweden
Ana Maria Gomes, Member of the European Parliament, Portugal
Gabi Zimmer, Member of the European Parliament, Germany
Paul Murphy, Member of the European Parliament, Ireland
Sabine Wils, Member of the European Parliament, Germany
Jacky Henin, Member of the European Parliament, France
Alda Sousa, Member of the European Parliament, Portugal
Martina Anderson, Member of the European Parliament, Ireland
Nikola Vuljani, Member of the European Parliament, Kroatia
Sabine Lsing, Member of the European Parliament, Germany
Lothar Bisky, Member of the European Parliament, Germany
Helmut Scholz, Member of the European Parliament, Germany
Willy Meyer, Member of the European Parliament, Spain
Mikael Gustafsson, Member of the European Parliament, Sweden
Marie-Christine Vergiat, Member of the European Parliament, France
Patrick Le Hyaric, Member of the European Parliament, France