Amnesty Int'l Urges Support For WikiLeaks Suspect
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- Amnesty International is stepping up its campaign against the treatment of an Army private suspected of giving classified information to WikiLeaks.
The London-based human rights group said Thursday it will forward to President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates messages sent through its Amnesty USA website.
Amnesty complained to Gates in January about the pretrial confinement that keeps Pfc. Bradley Manning locked up alone 23 hours a day in a Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va.
Amnesty says an order March 1 to have all Manning's clothes removed each night may violate his human rights. He gets a suicide-proof smock instead.
The Pentagon says Manning's confinement complies with constitutional requirements.
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