Should the U.S. military be keeping Pfc. Bradley Manning naked?

U.S. jailers reportedly force the alleged WikiLeaks secrets-spiller to sleep in the nude. Is this abuse, or just a safety precaution?

After joking that he could hang himself with his underwear waistband, alleged WikiLeaks source Pfc. Bradley Manning is reportedly being forced to sleep naked in his cell.
(Image credit: Facebook)

The conditions under which alleged WikiLeaks source Pfc. Bradley Manning is being jailed have triggered a new outcry, after the former intelligence analyst's lawyer said his client was being forced to sleep nude in his cell. A spokesman at the Marine brig that's holding Manning said the move was "not punitive." Authorities reportedly decided to take away Manning's clothes at night after he joked that he could hang himself with his underwear waistband. Is he being mistreated, or is the military just trying to keep him safe?

What appalling abuse: If Manning is such a danger to himself, says Glenn Greenwald at Salon, "why isn't he on 'suicide watch'"? This is abuse, plain and simple. It disgraces all Americans, from the Republicans who applaud it to the Democrats who would be outraged if George W. Bush had done this but who look the other way because it's happening on Barack Obama's watch.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up