CODEPINK to Stage Creative Action on the Eve Of WikiLeaks Whistleblower Bradley Manning's Court Martial


May 31, 2013

Contact:

Nancy Mancias, codepink.nancy@gmail.com

Alli McCracken, alli@codepink.org,  (860) 575-5692

CODEPINK to Stage Creative Action on the Eve Of WikiLeaks Whistleblower Bradley Manning's Court Martial

WHEN: Saturday, June 1, 2013 4:00pm

WHERE: Llewellyn Ave, just west of US 175

***VISUAL OPPORTUNITY***

(Ft. Meade, MD), The peace group CODEPINK will join the efforts of the Bradley Manning  Support Network in a march and rally outside Ft. Meade where the  WikiLeaks whistleblower Bradley Manning is scheduled to face court  martial on Monday, June 3, 2013. They will dress as Lady Justice,  blindfolded, with togas and scales, in front of a huge mural depicting  Manning with a Medal of Honor, the military's highest award. They will  speak out about how Manning's revelations have contributed to the  group's work for peace and justice.

Private Bradley Manning, a 25 year-old US Army intelligence analyst, stands  accused of leaking the largest amount of classified information in  American history to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks.org. CODEPINK  activists have been standing in support of Bradley Manning's action  since his imprisonment three years ago. When State Department  spokesperson P.J. Crowley was forced to resign after criticizing the  Pentagon's treatment of Manning, calling the treatment "ridiculous,  counterproductive, and stupid!", CODEPINK activists stripped their  clothing to symbolize how the prison guards had taken away Bradley  Manning's clothing.

Bradley Manning has been held in prison without charges for years. On Monday,  June 13, 2013, Manning will finally face court martial for "aiding the enemy," a capital offense. Manning's actions exposed U.S. war crimes in Iraq  and Afghanistan, and exposed abuses of other governments that helped  spark the democratic uprisings in the Middle East, also known as the  Arab Spring. That's why Manning is a hero to many people around the  world, people who believe that transparency is the hallmark of  democratic governance.

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CODEPINK is a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement  working to end U.S. funded wars and occupations, to challenge militarism globally, and to redirect our resources into health care, education,  green jobs and other life-affirming activities.