Just out: My official letter to #USGovt of 1 Nov 2019 explaining why continued detention of @xychelsea is not a lawful sanction but an open-ended, progressively severe coercive measure amounting to torture & should be discontinued & abolished without delay https://t.co/uhqKoFSQSq pic.twitter.com/J662CtVAA7

— Nils Melzer (@NilsMelzer) December 31, 2019

UN Expert Calls Detention of Chelsea Manning 'Open-Ended, Progressively Severe, Coercive Measure Amounting to Torture'

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer shared on social media Tuesday a letter he sent to the United States government last month expressing concerns that the continued detention of whistleblower Chelsea Manning amounts to torture.

Citing his obligations under the Human Rights Council, Melzer included in the letter a list of requests for more information about the detention conditions of Manning—who has made clear she has no intention of testifying, regardless of how long she is held and the massive fines she is racking up. He noted that his message and any response from the U.S. government would be made public within 60 days.

Melzer added:

While awaiting a reply, I recommend that Ms. Manning's current deprivation of liberty be promptly reviewed in light of the United States' international human rights obligations. Should my assessment regarding its purely coercive purpose be accurate, I recommend that Ms. Manning be released without further delay, and that any fines disproportionate to the gravity of any offense she may have committed be cancelled or reimbursed.

I intend to publicly express my concerns in the near future as, in my view, the information upon which my concerns are based is sufficiently reliable to indicate a matter warranting prompt attention. I also believe that the wider public should be alerted to the potential human rights implications of these allegations. Any public expression of concern on my part will indicate that I have been in contact with [the U.S. government] to clarify the issue/s in question.

"The U.S. government's treatment of Chelsea Manning amounts to a coordinated campaign of harassment and psychological torture," said Fight for the Future deputy director Evan Greer. "Coercive confinement is widely seen as a violation of human rights. Congress should ban this practice, and Judge Anthony Trenga should release Chelsea immediately, in accordance with international law and basic human decency."

"If Chelsea is not immediately released, U.S. lawmakers should launch investigations into her ongoing detention," added Greer. "Individuals who want to support Chelsea should sign the petition and spread the word about FreeChelsea.com."

I am so very glad to see Melzer address this travesty of justice. Many powerful people have blown off subpeonas entirely without an consequences such as Eric Holder who was Obama's attorney general. Congress held him in criminal contempt and yet he is still free.

Please sign the petition to Free Chelsea and let's end her incarceration for sticking up for her principles.

'I Will Not Comply': Chelsea Manning Sent Back to Prison Over Grand Jury Refusal

"If we lived in a just world she'd be considered a national hero."

** Chelsea was taken into custody today for resisting a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia

Chelsea provided the following statement: pic.twitter.com/tWjEOFyhYn

— Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) March 8, 2019

“When exposing a crime is treated as committing a crime, you are ruled by criminals.” -