A US Army sergeant who worked at the military jail where WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning alleges he was badly treated denied Wednesday that he had mocked the soldier’s homosexuality.
Manning, 24, who is accused of passing a trove of confidential documents to Julian Assange’s anti-secrecy website, could spend the rest of his life in jail if he is found guilty of “aiding the enemy,” chiefly Al-Qaeda.
At a pre-trial hearing investigating the conditions in which Manning was held in custody, former Quantico brig supervisor Master Sergeant Brian Papakie said guards had acted in the accused’s best interests.
Papakie said he knew Manning was gay but refuted claims that he had made fun of the army private’s sexuality by using the word “panties” in a memo for other guards relaying how he was to be treated at night.
“Make sure he is not standing at attention naked for evening count,” Papakie wrote. “You should be taking his panties right before he lays down.”
Under cross-examination from civilian defense lawyer David Coombs, Papakie said “panties” was merely a term he used for male underwear, but admitted that in hindsight he should not have used it.
The latest court hearing — Manning is expected to go on trial in March 2013 — has also heard from other witnesses about the accused’s gender struggle in which he used an alter ego, Breanna.
Manning was serving in Iraq as an army intelligence analyst when he was arrested in May 2010. He is accused of passing Iraq and Afghanistan war logs plus thousands of diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks, which published them, causing deep embarrassment in Washington and enraging US allies.
After being questioned in Iraq, Manning was sent to a US jail in neighboring Kuwait but was transferred to Quantico, in Virginia, two months later.
Manning’s custody regime meant he was stripped of almost all his clothes at night under strict prevention of injury (POI) guidelines that military commanders contend were put in place because Manning was a suicide risk.
The defense argues that the conditions amounted to harsh and degrading treatment and should lead to the case being thrown out. But Papakie testified that Manning’s behavior was erratic and guards were concerned about his safety.
“We want to be sure that you will not hurt yourself,” the sergeant told Manning in a video recorded at Quantico and shown to the court.
“Right now, I’m not comfortable with that,” Papakie said, referring to Manning’s state of mind.
Coombs, however, said Manning replied that he did not understand why he had been placed on such an arduous watch by the guards.
Earlier witnesses have told the court that stringent measures were needed because Manning was suicidal and last week, prosecutors showed the court a makeshift noose that the accused made out of a prison bed sheet.
The defense has sought to portray officers as running roughshod over advice from military psychiatrists and of bowing to pressure from top brass to keep Manning in solitary confinement.
Manning was held at Quantico until April 2011 but was then transferred to a prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where authorities concluded he was not suicidal and could be held under more lenient conditions.
Legal experts say it is unlikely that Judge Denise Lind will throw out the case because of Manning’s detention measures, but she could take the issue into account during sentencing, if the soldier is found guilty as charged.
US sergeant denies mocking Manning's homosexuality
