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Open Letter from Members of the European Parliament

to President Barack Obama and US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel

As Members of the European Parliament, who were elected to represent our constituents throughout

Europe, we are writing to express our concerns about the ongoing persecution of Bradley Manning, the

young U.S. soldier who released classified information revealing evidence of human rights abuses and

apparent war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The U.S. Army has charged Private First Class Manning with 21 different crimes, including Aiding the

Enemy; a capital charge. To convict a person who leaked information to the media of Aiding the

Enemy would set a terrible precedent. Although we understand the US government is not seeking the

death penalty for Bradley Manning, there would be nothing to stop this from happening in future cases.

As it is, PFC Manning faces the possibility of life in prison without parole, recently rejected as inhuman

and degrading treatment by the European Court of Human Rights.

On July 2nd , Army prosecutors closed their arguments in the case without having provided any real

evidence that Bradley Manning aided the enemy, or that he intended to do so. In his defense against

those charges to which he pleaded not guilty, PFC Manning was not permitted to bring any evidence of

motivation. And in a statement calling on the court to allow a public interest defense, Amnesty

International said that this was disturbingas he has said he reasonably believed he was exposing

human rights and humanitarian law violations. Moreover, the prosecution provided no evidence thatPFC Manning caused harm to U.S. national security or to US and NATO troops.

We agree with Amnesty International that the U.S. government should immediately drop the most

serious charges against PFC Bradley Manning, and that to charge Bradley Manning with aiding the

enemy is ludicrous a travesty of justice which makes a mockery of the US military court system.

Weve now seen the evidence presented by both sides, and its abundantly clear that the charge ofaiding the enemy has no basis, said Widney Brown, Senior Director for International Law and Policy at

Amnesty International. The prosecution should also take a long, hard look at its entire case and move

to drop all other charges that arent supported by the evidence presented.

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Rather than causing harm, Bradley Mannings release to WikiLeaks of the Iraq War Logs and the Afghan

War Diaries shone much needed light on those occupations, revealing, amongst other abuses, the

routine killing of civilians. The bleak picture painted by these war diaries contrasts greatly with the rosy

progress reports being provided to the public by military and political leaders. PFC Manning has said he

felt that if the American public had access to this information, this could spark a domestic debate on

American foreign policy as it related to Iraq and Afghanistan. Far from being a traitor, Bradley Manning

had the best interests of his country in mind.

The Iraqi people continue to suffer the consequences of this war, even after the withdrawal of foreign

troops, with millions of homeless refugees and the resumption of sectarian violence. Meanwhile, eleven

and a half years after the U.S invaded Afghanistan, that nation has yet to form a functioning democracy

or to free itself from the Taliban and fundamentalist warlords.

Bradley Manning: I felt that we were risking so much for people that seemed unwilling to co-operate

with us, leading to frustration and anger on both sides. I began to become depressed with the situation

that we found ourselves increasingly mired in year after year.

Bradley Manning was witness to the wrongdoing of the U.S. military. He says this troubled and

disturbed him. But instead of passing by on the other side like so many others, he acted in accordance

with international law and with a strong commitment to truth, transparency and democracy. He wrote

at the time that he hoped his actions would lead to worldwide discussion, debates, and reforms.

Bradley Manning also released information about the men who continue to be wrongly held in indefinite

detention at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo, Cuba. Over one hundred of these prisoners have been

carrying out a long, indefinite hunger strike, and 45 of them are being force-fed by U.S. soldiers. This

intolerable situation continues to undermine U.S. claims to promote freedom and democracy,

compromising the standing of the US in the world and diminishing US moral authority.

Bradley Mannings courageous action, for which he has three times been nominated for the Nobel PeacePrize, was an inspiration to others, including Edward Snowden, who recently revealed massive U.S.

government surveillance in the U.S. and also against European governments and citizens.

We are concerned that the U.S. administrations war on whistleblowers such as Edward Snowden and

Bradley Manning is a deterrent to the process of democracy in both the United States and Europe.

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We hereby urge you to end the persecution of Bradley Manning, a young gay man who has been

imprisoned for over three years, including ten months in solitary confinement, under conditions that the

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez deemed cruel and abusive. Bradley Manning has

already suffered too much, and he should be freed as soon as humanly possible.

Signed,

Marisa Matias, Member of the European Parliament, Portugal

Christian Engstrm, Member of the European Parliament, Sweden

Ana Maria Gomes, Member of the European Parliament, Portugal

Gabi Zimmer, Member of the European Parliament, Germany

Paul Murphy, Member of the European Parliament, Ireland

Sabine Wils, Member of the European Parliament, Germany

Jacky Henin, Member of the European Parliament, France

Alda Sousa, Member of the European Parliament, Portugal

Martina Anderson, Member of the European Parliament, Ireland

Nikola Vuljani, Member of the European Parliament, Kroatia

Sabine Lsing, Member of the European Parliament, Germany

Lothar Bisky, Member of the European Parliament, Germany

Helmut Scholz, Member of the European Parliament, Germany

Willy Meyer, Member of the European Parliament, Spain

Mikael Gustafsson, Member of the European Parliament, Sweden

Marie-Christine Vergiat, Member of the European Parliament, France

Patrick Le Hyaric, Member of the European Parliament, France