The United States maintains a policy of secrecy on its trial of US Army whistleblower Bradley Manning, a peace activist says.
Å“To constantly label every piece of information on a government level as ËœTOP SECRETâ„¢ or higher is totally ridiculous. We have a government that once embarked on that path, would leave one to believe that they have a lot to hide,” Bill Gilian, president of the New York chapter of Veterans for Peace, told Press TV in an interview.
Although US officials have consistently cited national security, Washington has clearly chosen which side it stands when it comes to whistleblowers regardless of their intention to expose crimes to the public.
Å“I think thereâ„¢s a chilling message here beyond Bradley, as bad as that may seem. Even letâ„¢s say if the government does not seek the death penalty and we go with life imprisonment, I think that is sheer overkill. But what it does beyond that, it sends a message to all within the military and in the United States government that whistleblowers and truth tellers will be prosecuted,” said Gilian.
Numerous news organizations and human rights groups including the Center for Constitutional Rights, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and a handful of journalists have challenged the extent of lack of public access to the Manning trial.
Å“If we look at the history of this administration since 2008, itâ„¢s abominable when it comes to prosecution and persecuting whistleblowers in the military and in government in particular,” Gilian stated.
The trial of the 25-year-old began at Fort Meade military base in the State of Maryland on June 3 over charges of espionage and dozens of other offenses.
Manning admitted to passing sensitive information regarding military field reports and US diplomatic cables to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks in an effort to start a debate on the role of the US military and foreign policy including its Å“bloodlust” and disregard for human life in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The overall charges may land Manning with a court-martial and a life-imprisonment sentence.
Protests have been held in the United States and other countries including Canada, France, Germany and South Korea against the negative portrayal of Manningâ„¢s case by American media and politicians.
GMA/KA
This article originally appeared on: Press TV