Posted on Aug 13, 2015
"Chelsea Manning may face solitary confinement for having Jenner Vanity Fair issue"
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From: The Guardian
Chelsea Manning, the US army soldier serving a 35-year military prison sentence for leaking official secrets, has been threatened with indefinite solitary confinement for having an expired tube of toothpaste in her cell and being found in possession of the Caitlyn Jenner Vanity Fair issue, according to her lawyers and supporters.
Manning, a Guardian columnist who writes about global affairs, intelligence issues and transgender rights from prison in the brig of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, has allegedly been charged with four violations of custody rules that her lawyers have denounced as absurd and a form of harassment. The army private is reportedly accused of having showed “disrespect”; of having displayed “disorderly conduct” by sweeping food onto the floor during dinner chow; of having kept “prohibited property” – that is books and magazines - in her cell; and of having committing “medicine misuse”, referring to the tube of toothpaste, according to Manning’s supporters.
The maximum punishment for such offences is an indeterminate amount of time in a solitary confinement cell.
The fourth charge, “medicine misuse”, follows an inspection of Manning’s cell on 9 July during which a tube of anti-cavity toothpaste was found. The prison authorities noted that Manning was entitled to have the toothpaste in her cell, but is penalizing her because it was “past its expiration date of 9 April 2015”.
The “prohibited property” charge relates to a number of books and magazines that were found in her cell and confiscated. They included the memoir I Am Malala by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, a novel featuring trans women called A Safe Girl to Love, the LGBT publication Out Magazine, the Caitlyn Jenner issue of Vanity Fair and a copy of Cosmopolitan that included an interview with Manning.
Also confiscated was the US Senate report on torture. It is not clear why any of these publications were considered violations of prison rules – a request by the Guardian to the army public affairs team for an explanation of the charges received no immediate response.
Nancy Hollander, the lawyer dealing with Manning’s appeal against the 35-year sentence for being the source of the WikiLeaks disclosures of US state secrets, called the charge relating to an expired tube of toothpaste “utterly ridiculous”. She added: “I’m concerned that books have been taken from her – those books came to her legally and are clearly not a security threat.”
Hollander also had objections to the fact that the details of the charges listed by Fort Leavenworth included a reference to Manning saying “I want my lawyer” following a discussion with a prison officer. “To ask for a lawyer when you are being accused of something by a prison officer - that’s not ‘disrespect’,” Hollander said.
Chase Strangio, a staff attorney with the ACLU who is handling Manning’s legal dispute with the US military over her health treatment in prison as a transgender woman, said the charges were very concerning. “They could chill her activities or even silence her altogether.”
Strangio said it seemed that Manning was being unfairly targeted. “Chelsea has a growing voice in the public discussion and it would not surprise me were these charges connected to who she is.”
Strangio is in possession of legal documents that were issued by the US military in pre-charging proceedings. The actual charges were read out by Manning verbatim to her supporters, who then published the wording in a petition that has been set up calling for the charges to be dropped. A disciplinary hearing is scheduled for 18 August; should it go ahead the petitioners demand that it should be made open to the public.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/12/chelsea-manning-solitary-confinement-toothpaste-army
Chelsea Manning, the US army soldier serving a 35-year military prison sentence for leaking official secrets, has been threatened with indefinite solitary confinement for having an expired tube of toothpaste in her cell and being found in possession of the Caitlyn Jenner Vanity Fair issue, according to her lawyers and supporters.
Manning, a Guardian columnist who writes about global affairs, intelligence issues and transgender rights from prison in the brig of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, has allegedly been charged with four violations of custody rules that her lawyers have denounced as absurd and a form of harassment. The army private is reportedly accused of having showed “disrespect”; of having displayed “disorderly conduct” by sweeping food onto the floor during dinner chow; of having kept “prohibited property” – that is books and magazines - in her cell; and of having committing “medicine misuse”, referring to the tube of toothpaste, according to Manning’s supporters.
The maximum punishment for such offences is an indeterminate amount of time in a solitary confinement cell.
The fourth charge, “medicine misuse”, follows an inspection of Manning’s cell on 9 July during which a tube of anti-cavity toothpaste was found. The prison authorities noted that Manning was entitled to have the toothpaste in her cell, but is penalizing her because it was “past its expiration date of 9 April 2015”.
The “prohibited property” charge relates to a number of books and magazines that were found in her cell and confiscated. They included the memoir I Am Malala by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, a novel featuring trans women called A Safe Girl to Love, the LGBT publication Out Magazine, the Caitlyn Jenner issue of Vanity Fair and a copy of Cosmopolitan that included an interview with Manning.
Also confiscated was the US Senate report on torture. It is not clear why any of these publications were considered violations of prison rules – a request by the Guardian to the army public affairs team for an explanation of the charges received no immediate response.
Nancy Hollander, the lawyer dealing with Manning’s appeal against the 35-year sentence for being the source of the WikiLeaks disclosures of US state secrets, called the charge relating to an expired tube of toothpaste “utterly ridiculous”. She added: “I’m concerned that books have been taken from her – those books came to her legally and are clearly not a security threat.”
Hollander also had objections to the fact that the details of the charges listed by Fort Leavenworth included a reference to Manning saying “I want my lawyer” following a discussion with a prison officer. “To ask for a lawyer when you are being accused of something by a prison officer - that’s not ‘disrespect’,” Hollander said.
Chase Strangio, a staff attorney with the ACLU who is handling Manning’s legal dispute with the US military over her health treatment in prison as a transgender woman, said the charges were very concerning. “They could chill her activities or even silence her altogether.”
Strangio said it seemed that Manning was being unfairly targeted. “Chelsea has a growing voice in the public discussion and it would not surprise me were these charges connected to who she is.”
Strangio is in possession of legal documents that were issued by the US military in pre-charging proceedings. The actual charges were read out by Manning verbatim to her supporters, who then published the wording in a petition that has been set up calling for the charges to be dropped. A disciplinary hearing is scheduled for 18 August; should it go ahead the petitioners demand that it should be made open to the public.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/12/chelsea-manning-solitary-confinement-toothpaste-army
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Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 17
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During the tour I took there, I was told by the staff of all the wonderful opportunities the inmates have to better themselves. I asked "when do they serve their time for the crimes they committed" The response was "isn't enough they are in here?" My reply "NO"
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Too bad, so sad. Why is the PVT being allowed to blog from the cell? Have we lost our mind? Did this individual not give operational details to Wikileaks?
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As angry as Manning's transgressions make me, she is doing her time, and, until things change, has the same rights as every other prisoner. If she has actually violated prison rules she deserves to be punished. If she has not, if charges are being "trumped up", as seems to be the case here, then she has the same rights that are guaranteed to every other inmate.
We cannot, as much as we may like to, discriminate based on the crime which was originally committed. She has had her trial. She is already being punished for her actions. This is one of the cornerstones of our Democracy.
We cannot, as much as we may like to, discriminate based on the crime which was originally committed. She has had her trial. She is already being punished for her actions. This is one of the cornerstones of our Democracy.
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PVT Robert Gresham
SSG William Self - As you wish. It doesn't change a thing that I wrote. If that is your only complaint then I thank you for adding your opinion.
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As much as people dislike Manning, I have a feeling we like Justice more. Ignore the prisoner, and look at the situation. It's not about Manning.
Would this be going on with any other prisoner? Would any other prisoner be having these same issues? Or, is it more likely that the Prison staff, like a majority of us, are letting their feelings for Manning cloud their professionalism?
I would love to believe that the Prison staff is 100% Professional 100% of the time. I would love to believe that. However... I think the truth is likely somewhere in between. It is likely that an "expired toothpaste" doesn't rate additional charges. It is likely that “I want my lawyer” isn't disrespect. It's also likely that "prohibited items" is code for something else.
Would this be going on with any other prisoner? Would any other prisoner be having these same issues? Or, is it more likely that the Prison staff, like a majority of us, are letting their feelings for Manning cloud their professionalism?
I would love to believe that the Prison staff is 100% Professional 100% of the time. I would love to believe that. However... I think the truth is likely somewhere in between. It is likely that an "expired toothpaste" doesn't rate additional charges. It is likely that “I want my lawyer” isn't disrespect. It's also likely that "prohibited items" is code for something else.
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MSgt Darum Danford
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS Another questions we might ask ourselves; would we hear about it if it was any other prisoner? I'm certain his attorneys have no idea what it's like to serve in a military prison and how restrictive and strict they can be, which may be causing them to blow this our of proportion. Manning should serves his time like anyone else and shouldn't be getting any special treatment because said attorneys aren't afraid to leak this "injustice" to the media.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
MSgt Darum Danford It's not "leaking" information to the media. It's bringing to light the classic phrase "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" (Who will guard the guards themselves?) which I have used many times here on RP.
Yes, Manning is high profile. Yes, he committed criminal acts. Yes, he should absolutely serve the punishment handed down by Court Martial. But he should not be abused within the system. If we do that, are we any better than him? We can't go "he deserves it for what he did" because the CM said exactly what he deserves. We have a process to determine that. And the Lawyers & the Media are the Safeguard/Oversight to ensure that the process stays true.
Yes, Manning is high profile. Yes, he committed criminal acts. Yes, he should absolutely serve the punishment handed down by Court Martial. But he should not be abused within the system. If we do that, are we any better than him? We can't go "he deserves it for what he did" because the CM said exactly what he deserves. We have a process to determine that. And the Lawyers & the Media are the Safeguard/Oversight to ensure that the process stays true.
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The article is incomplete. It gives offenses, but doesn't speak on the policies that make them prohibited. I thought inmates were allowed to read, so what's wrong with have the Bruce issue of Vanity Fair? Expired toothpaste as a medicine violation? Sounds to me Manning's lawyers are upset over the F**k F**k games that are being played in prison.
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