State Dept Spokesman: Bradley Manning’s Treatment “Ridiculous and Counterproductive and Stupid”

State Department spokesman PJ Crowley called the treatment of Bradley Manning in military prison “ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid.” Manning, the soldier accused of leaking documents to WikiLeaks, has been held in solitary confinement and forced to sleep naked–reportedly “for his own good.” State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley made the remarks at a small event on new media, organized by the Center for Future Civic Media at MIT last night. Manning filed an affidavit yesterday in his appeal objecting to his treatment. In it, he notes that in addition to being stripped naked every night, he’s still not allowed to have sheets or a blanket and gets woken up every 5 minutes by guards who say they have to check on him to see if he’s okay. Meanwhile, the decision to strip Manning of all his clothes every night appears to have been the result of a sarcastic quip he made to a guard last week. Read Daphne Eviatar’s past posts on Bradley Manning’s treatment in military prison.