conditions of bradley manning incarceration improve, thanks to all of us

I've been remiss in not writing about this sooner. The next time you feel that activism can't make a difference, think of Bradley Manning, and keep at it. Without the efforts of so many people shining a spotlight on Manning's treatment, there's no doubt he would still be in maximum security solitary confinement. And by highlighting how the military has treated Manning, we recall what he is accused of doing: exposing the truth of the occupation of Iraq.

From Bradley Manning Support Network and Courage To Resist, emphasis mine.

Hundreds of thousands of individuals around the world are celebrating the confirmation that their efforts to end the torturous pre-trial confinement conditions inflicted upon US Army PFC Bradley Manning have been successful. Manning’s lead defense attorney, David E. Coombs of Rhode Island, has personally verified that Manning is indeed being held in Medium Custody confinement at the Joint Regional Corrections Facility (JRCF) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, as claimed by the Army last week.

“We won this battle because 600,000 individuals took the time to write letters and sign petitions, because thousands called the White House switchboard, because 300 of America’s top legal scholars decried Bradley’s pre-trial conditions as a clear violation of our Constitution’s 5th and 8th Amendments,” declared Jeff Paterson of Courage to Resist and the Bradley Manning Support Network. “We won this battle because over a hundred concerned citizens engaged in civil disobedience at the White House and at Quantico, and because our grassroots campaign shows no sign of slowing.”

These new conditions reflect a dramatic improvement for Manning following his transfer to Fort Leavenworth on April 20, 2011, after having suffered extreme solitary-like confinement at US Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. During the nine months at Quantico, Manning was denied meaningful exercise, social interaction, sunlight, and was at times kept completely naked. These conditions were unique to Manning and were illegal under US military law as they clearly amounted to pre-trial punishment.

Read more here.