(Newser)
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Pentagon Papers-leaker Daniel Ellsberg and 34 other activists were busted yesterday at a rally protesting the treatment of suspected WikiLeaker Bradley Manning. Hundreds attended the demonstration at the Quantico Marine base in Virginia, where Manning is being held in solitary confinement. Protesters were arrested when they refused to follow orders by cops in riot gear to disperse. Manning's attorney has repeatedly complained about the treatment of his client, who is forced to strip off his clothes and don a suicide-proof smock each night before going to sleep.
Military officials insist his treatment complies with regulations and that it's intended to keep him from harming himself, reports AP. Public support is boosting Manning's flagging morale, according to a friend who has visited him. "It's stuff like this that gives Bradley hope," said David House. "When I go in there and say, 'Bradley, there are people on the outside that support you,' his eyes light up." Officers from six agencies converged on Quantico as protesters rallied beneath a banner reading: "Caution: Whistleblower Torture Zone." Most were arrested for unlawful assembly, and one was charged with assault following a scuffle.
