1000 days without trial

February 23 marks the thousandth day US military whistleblower Bradley Manning has spent imprisoned without trial.

Mr Manning was arrested in 2010 after leaking classified US documents to WikiLeaks, including diplomatic cables and videos depicting the US military killing Baghdad civilians.

A spokesperson for Community Action Against Homophobia, Rachel Evans has been organising solidarity action for Mr Manning, including the promotion of a Manning float at Mardi Gras.

“He’s a gay soldier, possibly a transgender soldier and we think the LGBTI community needs to stand up for him as he’s one of ours,” she said.

Ms Evans said Mr Manning represents resistance to the US war effort, and for that reason the US are wary of any quick decision on Manning.

“The United States of America is very scared of the role Bradley Manning plays in sparking resistance to their occupation and ongoing war in the Middle East,” she said.

“He and WikiLeaks have sparked soldiers’ imaginations and the trust of the people of the Middle East. Those two things are very dangerous for the United States because their war drive is an important component of their imperialist rule.”

Spokesperson for the WikiLeaks Australian Citizens Alliance, Gary Lord believes Mr Manning has valid reason to request for release. He said Manning had suffered injustices including extended imprisonment without trial and accusations of cruel and inhuman treatment by the UN.

“Everyone here supports Bradley and hopes his heroism will be rewarded. It’s hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel at the moment but something has to change and hopefully justice will be done,” Mr Lord said.

“There’s plenty of justification for letting him see the light of day sooner rather than later.”

Mr Lord said the treatment of Manning, along with other whistleblowers, dissuades others from coming forward.

“It’s not just Bradley Manning; there are the cases of John Kiriakou and Thomas Drake and other whistleblowers in the US being treated very badly. The precedent is it’s an obligation for a soldier who sees a war crime to speak up about it.

“If they know they’re going to be tortured and persecuted like this, it makes it very hard for anyone in the US military to do the right thing.”

Spokesperson for the Support Assange and WikiLeaks Coalition, Linda Pearson said the actions of the US Government towards Mr Manning set a dangerous precedent.

“I think it’s a terrifying precedent. It’s going against America’s own constitution which prohibits people being detained indefinitely without charge, and goes against one of the most basic principles of justice as well,” she said.

“If you’re accused of something it’s only fair you should be tried in a timely manner.”