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Vigil for Julian Assange and Bradley Manning

John Lennon | 04.02.2011 10:22

Meet opposite the Hippodrome at 4.30 on Tuesday
Julian Assange will be into the second day of his extradition hearing by Tuesday 8th Feb.
Come along and support the principles of free speech, whistleblowing and our right to know what our government and its agencies are up to.
Also to challenge the continuing 'evil' war in Afganistan, which continues to kill many civilians and provide a lovely income for the arms trade.
We will be showing some films.

Bradley Manning has been held at the brig at the Quantico Marine Base in Virginia, charged with disclosing government secrets. He is suspected of being the source of the secret government files released in recent months by the WikiLeaks website.
Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is fighting extradition to Sweden on sexual assault charges and is bailed to a country house. He could face criminal prosecution in the United States, possibly on charges of espionage.

Both men are back in the news this week. On Monday 7th Assange appears at Woolwich Courts, Belmarsh Rd, SE28 0EY, to fight his extradition hearing. Police announced on Wednesday they have arrested five men suspected of involvement in cyberattacks against companies that had broken ties with WikiLeaks. The men are believed to be members of an online collective known as "Anonymous," which has supported Assange and his WikiLeaks organization.

Manning's treatment at the Quantico base, meanwhile, prompted a complaint from his lawyer, David Coombs. He protested Manning's continued placement in "prevention of injury" status, allegedly because he is a threat to himself. In the complaint, Coombs pointed out that Manning is kept alone in his cell for 23 hours a day, under constant surveillance, and is subject to other severe restrictions.

John Lennon
- Original article on IMC Bristol: http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/703197