Above: Veterans and supporters gather at US Embassy on 13 December to demand the release of Bradley Manning. Michael Lyons pictured on left, Ben Griffin on right.

Report

Report from the Vigil by Veterans for Peace UK.

Press Release from Veterans for Peace UK

Image: Michael Lyons/Bradley Manning

On Tuesday December 13th at 1400hrs, Michael Lyons and British veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will gather at the U.S. Embassy in London to demand the immediate release of Bradley Manning and recognition that exposing war crimes is not a crime.

Michael Lyons is a former Navy medic who was released from Colchester Military Prison in November. He served a seven month sentence for refusing to carry out rifle training in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan. Lyons had applied for Conscientious Objector status after reading the “Afghan War Logs” released by WikiLeaks.

Bradley Manning is a U.S. Army intelligence analyst who is accused of leaking the “Afghan War Logs” to Wikileaks. Manning has been held in U.S. military custody for 18 months. He faces multiple charges which would lead to a lifetime of imprisonment if convicted. His pre-trial hearing begins before a military tribunal on Friday 16th December at Fort Meade, Maryland, USA.

Michael Lyons stated:

“I am grateful to Wikileaks for providing the information that enabled me to make an informed decision of conscience. I am outraged by the continued imprisonment of Bradley Manning; exposing war crimes is not a crime”.

For more information contact Ben Griffin of Veterans for Peace UK at veteransforpeace@gmail.com or call 07866 559 312.