Bradley Manning's fight for justice at Ft. Meade
By the Bradley Manning Support Network. January 23, 2013. Bradley Manning, a 25-year-old Army intelligence analyst, is accused of releasing the Collateral Murder video, which shows the killing of unarmed civilians and two Reuters journalists by a US Apache helicopter crew in Iraq. He is also accused of sharing the Afghan War Diary, the Iraq War Logs, and series of embarrassing US diplomatic cables. These documents were published by the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, and they have illuminated such issues as the true number and cause of civilian casualties in Iraq, along with a number of human rights abuses by U.S.-funded contractors and foreign militaries, and the role that spying and bribes play in international diplomacy. He has twice been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his heroic and noble actions. For over 960 days he has been imprisoned without trial, 11 months of which were spent in solitary confinement at Quantico prison, where his treatment has since been judged to have amounted to unlawful pretrial punishment. Saluting Bradley Manning, 1/31 Berkeley CA benefit
In the San Francisco Bay Area, please join us in saluting Bradley Manning on Thursday, January 31, 2013, 7:30 pm, at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley. Presented by KPFA Radio and Courage to Resist, this benefit for KPFA and the Bradley Manning Defense Fund (hosted by Courage to Resist in collaboration with the Bradley Manning Support Network) features Daniel & Patricia Ellsberg & Kevin Gosztol. $12 advance tickets at Brown Paper Tickets, or at: Pegasus Books (3 locations), Marcus Books, Mrs. Dalloway’s, Moe’s Books, Walden Pond, DIESEL, A Bookstore, Modern Times. $15 tickets may be available at the door. Robynn Murray in support of our war resisters in CanadaJanuary 18, 2013 Iraq veteran and subject of the Academy Award-nominated documentary "Poster Girl" Robynn Murray's brief message in support of U.S. Iraq War resisters in Canada. Courage to Resist currently hosts the Rivera Family Support Fund for Kimberly Rivera and her family. Kimberly appears in this video on the right. Since this video was filmed, she was deported to the U.S., and now faces prison at an upcoming court martial.
An appeal from Mario and the Rivera Family
Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to the Rivera Family Support Fund: By Mario Rivera, husband of war resister Kimberly Rivera. Interviewed by Bob Meola, Courage to Resist. December 21, 2012 The donations from the fund established by Courage to Resist let me and the four children visit Kimberly last month. We were able to stay at a motel on Fort Carson. It allowed the kids to visit their mother--even if it was just for a short week. Any new donations would allow us to keep up with the basics--food and shelter and the water bill and gas and electric. They would allow us also, hopefully, to get some Christmas presents for the kids. Presentation by Bradley's attorney David CoombsDavid Coombs, defense attorney in the WikiLeaks-related case, US. v. Bradley Manning, gave his first public presentation to an audience of over a hundred people at All Souls Church in Washington DC, on December 4, 2012. Additional speakers included Emma Cape and Kevin Zeese of the Bradley Manning Support Network, Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights, Jesselyn Radack of the Government Accountability Project, and Marsha Coleman-Adebayo of the National Whistleblower Center. Mr. Coombs specifically noted the ongoing support of Courage to Resist in his efforts to defend Bradley.
Bradley Manning accepts responsibility
Why, what it means (and doesn't), and what next By Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist. November 19, 2012. Published at Allvoices.com Army Private Bradley Manning recently informed the military court that he was, in fact, the source of information published by WikiLeaks. While the 24 year old Intelligence Analyst, effectively, took responsibility for transferring classified documents, in violation of military regulations, he maintained that he was not guilty of all 22 charges against him. “PFC Manning has offered to plead guilty to various offenses through a process known as "pleading by exceptions and substitutions," explained Manning civilian defense attorney David Coombs on his blog. Manning is “attempting to accept responsibility for offenses that are encapsulated within, or are a subset of, the charged offenses…. PFC Manning is not pleading guilty to the specifications as charged by the government,” added Coombs. Nor is he “submitting a plea as part of an agreement or deal with the government.” "Pleading by exceptions and substitutions" is very rare--so rare that most observers of the proceedings were thoroughly confused. Some media outlets incorrectly reported that Manning was “seeking a deal”, “pleading guilty”, or trying to nullify a life sentence--or even the death penalty. It’s important to clarify that no deal is being sought, Manning no longer faces the death penalty, and his plea doesn’t prohibit the maximum sentence of life in prison. Manning’s plea confused many, simply because the truth isn’t usually offered up in such proceedings without something in return. But that is what happened. December 2012 newsletter now available
We're proud to share our December 2012 print newsletter (PDF). This triannual newsletter features updates on the campaign to save WikiLeaks whistle-blower Army PFC Bradley Manning, the dire situation of the Rivera Family with Kimberly facing years in prison, the long journey of Skyler James, AWOL objector Micah Turner's travels, and "In memory of Joshua Casteel". Last week we mailed thousands of copies to friends and supporters around the world, but you can also view, print, and share it here. We publish our newsletter every four months so folks have a quick overview of our recent on ongoing work. It's the next best thing to regularly checking in with us via our website and/or our Facebook page.
The dire situation of objector Kimberly Rivera and her family
Mario Rivera is the husband of Kimberly Rivera, the U.S. Army War Resister, who was deported from Canada on September 20th. He is also the father of their four children. Recently, he shared with us his family’s very dire and challenging situation as Kimberly awaits a likely military court martial. Below is their story, in his words. Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to the Rivera Family Support Fund: Please write a letter of support for Kimberly Kimberly left Toronto and voluntarily crossed the border into New York and was handcuffed at the border when she told them who she was. She was turned over by border officials to Fort Drum personnel. Fort Drum held her for one day and then they stuck her in the county jail for four days. Then Fort Carson came and got her. I heard from her when she was approaching the border and was going to turn herself in the next morning. Then I didn’t hear from her for about 48 hours, until she was in county jail, and she told me what happened. Micah Turner, AWOL and on the road
I had the honor of interviewing my new hero, Army Sgt. Micah Turner, the other day. Micah has been busy speaking truth to power, wherever he can, since he went AWOL from the army last month. Here is what he told me: “The reason I joined the army was because I was 19 and I was a wild-land firefighter and I fell in love with the camaraderie, working to achieve a common goal. I wanted to serve my country in the best way I could after 9-11. I believed that we were attacked and I wanted to defend my home. Sgt Micah Turner speaks out while AWOLCourage to Resist. October 9, 2012
You can follow Michah on Twitter here 'We don't have to go to Afghanistan'
Courage to Resist (via March Forward). October 10, 2012 Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam veterans with the “Our Lives Our Rights” campaign are reaching out to soldiers this week near Fort Lewis, Washington. Soldiers there with the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, are scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan later this month. Soldiers will receive information about Conscientious Objection and other legal avenues to avert deployment--“You don’t have to go to Afghanistan,” is the message. Activists with March Forward! and Veterans For Peace are carrying out this week of action. More Articles...
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Recent rulings in Bradley’s pre-trial hearings–Trial delayed until June
Saluting Bradley Manning 
By Bob Meola, Courage to Resist. October 12, 2012
On the 11th anniversary of the Afghanistan War, veterans deploy to Fort Lewis with message of hope Donate
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M.S.W, mother of Army Spc. Suzanne Swift
