Blenis and another counsellor, Staff Sergeant Ryan Jordan, said Manning’s reluctance to engage in conversations with troops overseeing his detention caused concern, particularly because the accused admitted to having suicidal thoughts upon arriving at Quantico in July 2010.
They said Manning posed a risk of harming himself because he had fashioned a noose from a bedsheet while confined in Kuwait, and had admitted to “always planning and never acting” on suicidal thoughts, according to a written statement when he arrived at Quantico in July 2010.
Manning was held at Quantico until April 2011 before being transferred to a prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where authorities concluded he was not suicidal and could be held under more lenient conditions.
Legal experts say it is unlikely that Judge Denise Lind will throw out the case because of Manning’s detention measures, but she could take the issue into account during sentencing, if the soldier is found guilty as charged.
If convicted on all 22 counts, including a charge of “aiding the enemy,” Manning could spend the rest of his life in prison.
His trial has been pushed back to March 2013 instead of February that year, Judge Lind announced earlier.
Due to last about six weeks, the court-martial could begin March 6 or March 18, depending on the pace of legal proceedings, she said.
The pre-trial hearing on Manning’s treatment at Quantico, which began last Tuesday, is due to resume on Wednesday.
About The Author
