State Activists Rally To Support Suspected Oklahoma Wiki-Leaker

Friday, January 14th 2011, 2:13 pm

By: News 9

News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma activists gathered in Oklahoma City Friday to show their support for Crescent native and alleged wiki-leaker, Private First Class Bradley Manning.

Manning has been in solitary confinement for seven months while awaiting trial on three charges of unlawfully transferring confidential material to a non-secure computer via the whistleblower website wikileaks.

The rally began at about noon on the corner of 23rd Street and Broadway in Oklahoma City.

Those behind the protest, The Oklahoma Center for Conscience, The Peace House and a group of OU students said the Army is not following its own rules claiming Manning has been subject to horrific conditions as "punishment" before he's even been to trial.

Private Manning came across the secret documents while working as an intelligence analyst in Baghdad.

He faces up to 52 years if convicted and could be charged with additional crimes.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has leaked thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables through his website and is fighting extradition to Sweden on sex charges. He's vowed that no matter what happens to him the leaking will continue.

U.S. officials said Assange is endangering this country by posting the confidential documents.