Hear Bradley explain acts of conscience, Afghans lend support

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Audio of Bradley's statement on motives published online A recording of Bradley Manning's statement was released this week. It was the first time Bradley's voice has been heard outside the courtroom. The transparency group Freedom of the Press Foundation has published an illicit audio recording of Pfc. Bradley Manning’s full statement on releasing classified documents to WikiLeaks as an act of conscience. Despite this being among the most important trials in America today, journalists are not allowed to record any audio or video of the proceedings. Therefore, prior to this release, the public and press at large have never been able to hear Bradley Manning’s voice. In the moving statement, Bradley describes his decisions to release the Iraq and Afghan war databases, the Collateral Murder video, Department of State diplomatic cables. He said he hoped these releases would “spark a domestic debate on the role of the military and our foreign policy in general as it related to Iraq and Afghanistan.” Glenn Greenwald breaks down the statement in several audio segments here. Upon hearing the audio recording, Pentagon Papers whistle-blower Daniel Ellsberg said, “I believe Bradley Manning is the personification of the word whistleblower.” Read more... Afghans rally in support of Bradley Manning Demonstrating support for Bradley in Afghanistan About one hundred Afghan men, women, and children held signs and banners calling for Bradley Manning’s freedom in the center of Kabul on March 8th. Their giant banner read, ‘Bradley Manning, you are a hero of suffering Afghans!’ Other signs say, ‘When Bradley is stripped, America is exposed,’ and ‘Refusing to kill is not a crime.’ In addition to the “Afghan War Diaries,” Bradley found and passed to WikiLeaks a video and accompanying investigation of a 2009 U.S. airstrike on an Afghan village that killed more than 140 civilians, mostly women and children. View photos from the demonstration In his statement to the court last week, Bradley said, “I wanted the American public to know that not everyone in Iraq and Afghanistan are targets that needed to be neutralized, but rather people who were struggling to live in the pressure cooker environment of what we call asymmetric warfare." Last week’s rally for Bradley in Kabul was sponsored by The Solidarity Party of Afghanistan. Read more... Help us continue to cover 100% of Bradley's legal fees! Donate today.