Booth reports: "The mother of Bradley Manning, the US army private who is this week expected to be handed a long jail sentence for his role in the WikiLeaks dump of US state secrets, has said she believes she may never see him again."

Whistleblower Bradley Manning. (art: Kay Rudin/RSN)

Bradley Manning's Mother Urges Him to 'Never Give Up Hope'

By Robert Booth, Guardian UK

06 August 13

�

�

Susan Manning, who lives in Wales and has not seen her son since 2011, makes rare statement as the sentencing phase of his trial is enters second week

he mother of Bradley Manning, the US army private who is this week expected to be handed a long jail sentence for his role in the WikiLeaks dump of US state secrets, has said she believes she may never see him again.

Speaking after the 25-year-old was found guilty of espionage, theft and computer fraud, Susan Manning urged her son to "never give up hope".

Susan Manning, who lives in Pembrokeshire in Wales, has health problems and has not seen her son since 2011. In a rare statement in the Mail on Sunday, she said: "I know I may never see you again but I know you will be free one day. I pray it is soon. I love you Bradley and I always will."

The sentencing phase of Manning's trial began last Wednesday, a day after he was convicted for passing to WikiLeaks more than 250,000 US diplomatic cables and several hundred thousand battlefield logs from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, many of which were published by the Guardian.

Susan Manning reportedly could not bring herself to watch TV or listen to the radio to hear last week's verdict but waited for her sister, Sharon Staples, to tell her by phone.

Staples told the paper the family is now "praying for leniency" and described her sister's shock at seeing Manning on her last visit to see him locked up in the US marine base in Quantico in February 2011.

"He was sitting on the other side of a glass partition and when I walked in I heard the sound of the chains round his hands and feet before I saw him," Staples said. "Most of the time they sat in silence but held each others' gaze. She didn't get to hug him but was able to tell him she loved him."

Afterwards, according to Staples, she said: "You wouldn't treat a bloody animal like they're treating Bradley."

This article was updated on 4 August 2013 to correct a reference to the sentencing phase of Manning's trial.

Comments

We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship. No one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the moderation.

General guidelines: Avoid personal attacks on other forum members; Avoid remarks that are ethnically derogatory; Do not advocate violence, or any illegal activity.

Remember that making the world better begins with responsible action.

- The RSN Team

+13 # RicKelis 2017-04-10 17:58

Gerrymandering, re-districting, and the Electoral College itself are rigging devices. A direct one person - one vote tabulation resulted in a Democratic sweep this last election. If we got rid of such rigging mechanisms, our federal government would look a lot more progressive, much less corporate conservative. It would look the way America really is, with We the People striving for a more Perfect Union-- and we'd be in charge.

-15 # egbegb 2017-04-10 23:49

America is NOT a democracy. It never was and never should be. Why do liberals not understand that fact? Do they consider that fact an "alternate" fact? Gerrymandering in the past drew lines for NY, MA, CA and IL. Now Dems complain when their power is reduced and R's can draw lines? How hypocritical is that?

-15 # MDSolomon 2017-04-11 00:03

Yes, by all means let John Oliver, cartel media whore, keep us distracted with his gerrymandering drivel while the hacking of electronic voting machines and fake exit polling make this a moot point. http://coloradopublicbanking.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-view-from-top-of-power-pyramid.html

+16 # swissms 2017-04-11 03:51

Thank you John Oliver for making this situation a public issue. If we want our democracy back, this is one of the important things we have to change. Too bad no one took this issue seriously enough before the right wing succeeded in effectively stealing all three branches of our government.

0 # hd70642 2017-04-11 05:54

just how are.
districts. drawn. up. and. are there term. limitations. for. districts

+2 # tr4302@gmail.com 2017-04-11 11:54

Want to know what is going on? Ask a comic.
Excellent and accurate post!

+4 # carp 2017-04-11 12:41

One of the most absurd examples of gerrymandering is the state of Utah. Are they kidding me? They are so chicken to run on their own merits they virtually guarantee a win in all districts.

Refresh comments list

JComments

THE NEW STREAMLINED RSN LOGIN PROCESS: Register once, then login and you are ready to comment. All you need is a Username and a Password of your choosing and you are free to comment whenever you like! Welcome to the Reader Supported News community.

Name:	*
Username:	*
E-mail:	*
Password:	*
Confirm password:	*
Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.