Minute on behalf of Bradley Manning
We, the Nashville (TN) Quaker Meeting, feel that it is our moral and religious duty to speak out on behalf of PFC Bradley Manning.
For more that 3 centuries, Quakers have borne witness to the mistreatment of prisoners, and we strongly believe that Private Manning is the victim of mistreatment.
From May 2010 to April 2011 he was incarcerated in military prison under harsh conditions, initially without being formally charged or tried. Pvt. Manning is accused of leaking classified information including the video “Collateral Murder.” He is now in a less restrictive situation at Fort Leavenworth and has finally been charged. While people may have different views on the ethics of whistle blowing and the apparent misdeeds of the US military, we contend that the treatment of Pvt. Manning is, in any case, unjust and reprehensible. We appeal to the conscience of members of the American military and the executive branch to recognize Pvt. Manning’s basic human rights and hold those responsible for this inhumane treatment accountable.
Approved at Business Meeting called into session at rise of regular worship July 17, 2011
-Also published by the Tennessean as an op-ed on July 22, 2011
Approved by Nashville Friends Meeting July 17, 2011