October 19, 2011<\/p>\n
Report on Bradley Manning to be Released Soon<\/em><\/p>\n Juan Mendez, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, confirmed yesterday that the Department of Defense has blocked his requests for an unmonitored meeting with PFC Bradley Manning, the accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower. He told reporters gathered at a U.N. General Assembly committee on human rights that he would be issuing a report on Bradley Manning\u2019s case \u201cin the next few weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n Mendez noted that the Obama administration had offered the possibility of a meeting, but only under \u201cconditions in which they could not confirm the confidentiality of my conversations with him.\u201d \u00a0He said that, according to the rules of his U.N. mandate, \u201cthat is a condition that we cannot accept.\u201d \u00a0Mendez explained further that he nevertheless offered to meet with PFC Manning, but that \u201che also chose not to waive his right to have a private conversation with me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Special Rapporteur\u2019s report on Bradley Manning\u2019s conditions of confinement unfortunately won\u2019t be complete so long as the Obama administration prevents them from having a private conversation,\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0said Kevin Zeese, a legal adviser with the Bradley Manning Support Network.\u00a0\u201cThe administration owes an explanation to the American people why they won\u2019t let a U.N. official investigate evidence of Eighth Amendment violations committed against a U.S. citizen.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Juan Mendez condemned the use of solitary confinement at yesterday\u2019s press conference, arguing that under no circumstances should it be employed for longer than 15 days in excess of 22 hours a day. PFC Manning was held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day during the eight months he was detained at a brig in Quantico, Virginia.<\/p>\n Supporters of Bradley Manning recently surpassed a signature threshold on a new White House petition website demanding unmonitored access to Manning for the U.N. investigator. \u00a0According to the website\u2019s rules, the administration must now issue an official response to the request.<\/p>\n