Bradley Manning reportedly appeared almost "catatonic" by the end of January, experiencing severe problems communicating during a visit from his friend, David House.
There is no question that Private Bradley Manning is currently undergoing both physical and psychological torture at the hands of the U.S. military, and that he has been undergoing both forms of torture since his initial incarceration.
As I previously reported here, Manning was first detained in Iraq in May, where he was stationed as an intelligence analyst with the U.S. Army; he was charged in July and transferred to a Marine Corps Brig in Quantico, Virginia and immediately placed in solitary confinement. The situation has only deteriorated for Bradley Manning since then.
First incarcerated for allegedly exposing atrocities like the American air strikes that killed Afghan children and other innocent civilians, Bradley Manning, 23, is the alleged source of the now infamous diplomatic cables, which have dominated the news media since their arrival on the public scene. It seems the cables and leaked video are newsworthy and of great public interest-- interesting enough to dominate the mainstream media and yet somehow warranting the torture of their alleged messenger, who has been left to whither away in a 6 x 12 cell.
A recent interview with House can be seen here:
Peculiarly, no other detainee at the Quantico Brig is being forced to endure the "isolation and humiliation" that Bradley Manning is being subject to. His treatment has been described as "degrading," "inexcusable," "without justification" and "an embarrassment to our military justice." As such, Coombs argues that it must not be tolerated.