But the US military defends its handling of Manning, saying he had voiced suicidal thoughts in Kuwait and that brig commanders were determined to ensure his safety.
During his testimony, Manning appeared to grow more at ease, apparently relishing his first chance to speak publicly after two years behind bars.
He said the monotony of his solitary detention at Quantico led him to dance inside his cell and to make faces in the mirror, which he said was the result of “sheer, complete, out-of-my-mind boredom.”
After his detention from July 2010 to April 2011 at Quantico, Manning was transferred to a prison at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, where authorities concluded he was not a suicide risk and granted him regular privileges.
At Leavenworth, he said he was amazed when he was allowed to leave his cell without shackles on his hands and feet.