Julian Assange and Bradley Manning: A Tale of Two Arrests

LONDON -- On the face of it, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Pfc. Bradley Manning have a great deal in common. Both are thought to be guilty of leaking sensitive government information that allegedly jeopardizes U.S. national security. Both are currently in custody. And both can boast the support of renegade filmmaker Michael Moore. But there the similarities end.

Assange's "prison" is a lush, 600-acre estate north of London that boasts a housekeeper, a carp lake and a fully-stocked wine cellar. (Check out these Christmas photos at the Daily Mail.) Sure, Assange is wearing an electronic tagging device and must report daily to the local authorities. But in the month following his arrest in London for extradition to Sweden over allegations of sexual assault, Assange has managed to wrangle both a million-dollar book contract and screen rights to a movie deal.

Meanwhile, Manning -- the young soldier accused of leaking the secret U.S. documents that made WikiLeaks a household name -- has, since July, spent his days locked up at the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia.

Because he has been termed a "maximum security risk," Manning is confined to his single-person cell 23 hours per day. He has one hour to exercise, one hour to watch television, and is permitted reading material. But he is shackled at the hands and legs during all visits and denied opportunities to work. Guards also check him every five minutes during the day and Manning is required to respond.

For a few days last week, Manning was placed on "suicide watch," which meant he was confined to his cell 24 hours a day, stripped of all clothing except for underwear, and deprived of his reading glasses. This, despite the fact that three psychiatrists have examined him since August and all say Manning is not a suicide risk. At the urging of U.S. Army lawyers, the suicide watch was lifted.

Earlier this week, NBC News reported that the U.S. government has been unable to find evidence directly linking Manning to Assange. Among other things, this would weaken the chances of extraditing and prosecuting Assange on espionage charges. (Assange will fight his extradition to Sweden on sex charges at a hearing in London on Feb. 7.)

As for Manning, he awaits trial on charges that could put him in prison for 52 years, according to the Army.

Meanwhile, his lawyer, David Coombs, has filed a complaint that Manning is being unfairly treated at Quantico, and requested that Manning no longer be deemed a maximum security risk. Amnesty International has also written to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, asking that Manning's restrictions be reviewed. In its letter, Amnesty noted that Manning is classified as a "maximum custody" detainee despite having no history of violence or disciplinary offenses while in custody.

Others, like the progressive blog Fire Dog Lake, are likening Manning's treatment to the alleged abuse and torture of other detainees by the U.S. government. On Sunday, Manning's close friend David House -- the only person to visit him in prison in July other than his lawyers -- brought to Quantico a petition signed by 42,000 people protesting the conditions under which his friend is being held. (House was detained by military police for questioning and did not get inside to see Manning.)

Military officials have repeatedly denied that Manning is in any way being tortured or denied due process. But senior military officials did tell NBC News that a U.S. Marine commander violated procedure when he placed Manning on suicide watch last week.

There are, without a doubt, significant differences between these two cases. For starters, Assange has yet to be charged with a crime -- he is merely wanted for questioning. And Manning, because he is a member of the United States Army, must be held in a military brig while he awaits trial.

Still, one can't help but be struck by the parallel universes that these whistleblowers now inhabit. And I'm left wondering: Where's Pfc. Manning's movie deal?


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