NguNorman Solomon, Al Jazeera
Uhulumeni wase-US uzama ukucekela phansi i-Chelsea Manning.
Eminyakeni emihlanu ngemuva kokuboshwa kukaManning, iButho elizimele, ngokunikeza imininingwane eyimfihlo kuWikiLeaks, unya lukahulumeni seluthatha elinye ithuba - ingxenye kaGeorge Orwell, ingxenye uLewis Carroll. Kodwa u-Chelsea (owayekade engu-Bradley) Manning akazange awe phansi emgodini onogwaja. Uvalelwe eFort Leavenworth, iminyaka emihlanu ejele leminyaka engama-35 - futhi iqiniso lokuthi akahlelelwe ukukhululwa kuze kube u-2045 akwanele njengesijeziso. Iziphathimandla zasejele manje seziveza amacala amancane nayinqaba ukuze zimesabise ngokuvalelwa yedwa esitokisini.
Kungani? Izinsolo zokwephulwa komthetho zihlanganisa ukutholakala nomuthi wokuxubha amazinyo seludlule usuku lwawo lokuphelelwa yisikhathi kanye nenkinga ye-Vanity Fair no-Caitlyn Jenner kukhava. Ngisho noma wonke amacala okuphulwa okuncane kwemithetho yasejele etholakala eyiqiniso kuye kuvaliwe ukuzwa namuhla, isijeziso esisatshiswayo asilingani ngonya.
Njengombhali we-Conservative uGeorge Will wabhala eminyakeni engaphezu kwemibili edlule, “Amashumi ezinkulungwane zeziboshwa zaseMelika agcinwe esitokisini isikhathi eside esihlanganisa ukuhlukunyezwa.” Empeleni, uhulumeni manje usabisa ngokuhlukumeza uManning.
Izinto ezixakayo ngalesi simo azinamkhawulo. Eminyakeni emihlanu eyedlule, uManning ukhethe ukuthumela imininingwane eyimfihlo ku-WikiLeaks ngemuva kokubona ukuthi amasosha ase-US e-Iraq anikela iziboshwa kuhulumeni waseBaghdad ngolwazi olugcwele ukuthi zingahlukunyezwa.
Ngemva kokuboshwa, uManning wahlala evalelwe yedwa esikhungweni sezempi eVirginia isikhathi esingangonyaka ngaphansi kwezimo lapho umlobi okhethekile weNhlangano Yezizwe. okutholiwe sahlanganisa “impatho enesihluku, engenabuntu nelulazayo ngokwephula i-athikili 16 yomhlangano omelene nokuhlushwa.” Phakathi kokushicilelwe okusanda kuthathwa esitokisini sikaManning, okubukeka sengathi izinto ezingekho emthethweni, kwaba umbiko osemthethweni weKomidi Lezobunhloli leSigele mayelana nokuhlukunyezwa kweCIA.
Ngempelasonto edlule, uManning wathi ukuthi wenqatshelwe ukungena kumtapo wolwazi wezomthetho wasejele ezinsukwini ezimbalwa ngaphambi kokuqulwa kwecala ngoLwesibili ntambama okungase kuholele ekutheni aqhubeke evalelwa yedwa. Isikhathi sokuthatha lesi sinyathelo sasisibi kakhulu: Wayelungiselela ukuzimelela ekuqulweni kwamacala, okwakungekho noyedwa kubameli bakhe owayezovunyelwa ukuba abe khona.
"Phakathi neminyaka emihlanu eboshiwe, u-Chelsea kudingeke ukuthi abekezelele izimo ezinyantisayo zokuboshwa kwesinye isikhathi ezingahambisani nomthethosisekelo," kusho ummeli we-ACLU uChase Strangio ngoMsombuluko. “Manje ubhekene nengwadla yokwehliswa isithunzi sobuntu ngoba kuthiwa akazange ahloniphe isikhulu ngesikhathi ecela ummeli futhi enezincwadi nomagazini abahlukahlukene ayezisebenzisela ukuzifundisa nokwazisa iphimbo lakhe emphakathini nezombusazwe.”
Inethiwekhi yokusekela uManning ihlale inamandla selokhu agwetshwa ngo-Agasti 2013. Lokhu kusiza ukuchaza ukuthi kungani i-Pentagon izimisele kakhulu ukunqamula ubuhlobo bakhe nomhlaba wangaphandle. Njengoba uStrangio ekubeka, "Lokhu kusekelwa kungaqeda ukuvalelwa kwakhe yedwa futhi kuthumele umyalezo kuhulumeni wokuthi umphakathi umbhekile futhi ume ngakuye njengoba elwela inkululeko nezwi lakhe." Ku-Manning, ukusekelwa okunjalo kuyindlela yokuphila.
Selokhu kuvele izindaba ngesonto eledlule mayelana nosongo lokuvalelwa wedwa, cishe abantu abayi-100,000 basayine incwadi. isikhalazo se-intanethi exhaswe amaqembu amaningana, okuhlanganisa i-Fight for the Future, RootsAction.org, Demand Progress kanye ne-CodePink. "Ukufaka noma yimuphi umuntu esitokisini esihlala yedwa akuthetheleli, futhi emacaleni amancane njengalawa (ishubhu eliphelelwe yisikhathi lomuthi wokuxubha, nokuba nomagazini?), kuwukubukela phansi amasosha aseMelika kanye nohlelo lwawo lobulungisa," sifundeka lesi sikhalazo. . Ifuna ukuthi amacala ahoxiswe futhi ukulalelwa kuka-Agasti 18 kuvulwe emphakathini.
Njengomkhuzi omkhulu, u-Barack Obama akazange aphikisane nezinyathelo zakamuva ezimelene noManning njengoba enza ngesikhathi kuqala ukuhlukunyezwa. Eqinisweni, ngemva kosuku umkhulumeli woMnyango Wezwe u-PJ Crowley esho ngoMashi 2011 ukuthi ukuphathwa kukaManning "kwakuyinhlekisa futhi kuphambene futhi kuwubuwula," u-Obama wakusekela esidlangalaleni.
U-Obama utshele ingqungquthela yezindaba ukuthi "ubuze iPentagon ukuthi izinqubo ezithathiwe mayelana nokuboshwa kwakhe zifanelekile yini futhi ziyahlangabezana nezindinganiso zethu eziyisisekelo. Bangiqinisekisile ukuthi banjalo.” Umongameli wama kulokho kuhlola. Crowley ngokushesha ushiye.
UManning ungomunye wabasakazi abakhulu benkathi yethu. Njengoba echaza ku-a isitatimende eminyakeni emibili edlule, ngemva nje kokuba ijaji limgwebe iminyaka eyodwa kwezintathu ejele, “Kwaze kwaba yilapho ngise-Iraq futhi ngifunda imibiko yezempi eyimfihlo nsuku zonke lapho ngaqala khona ukungabaza ukuziphatha kwalokhu esasikwenza. . Kungalesi sikhathi lapho ngabona khona ukuthi [emizamweni] yethu yokubhekana nobungozi obubangelwa isitha, sase sikhohlwe ubuntu bethu.”
Ubuye wengeza wathi, “Sikhethe ukubukela phansi impilo yase-Iraq nase-Afghanistan… Noma nini lapho sibulala izakhamuzi ezingenacala, esikhundleni sokwamukela umthwalo wemfanelo ngokuziphatha kwethu, sasikhetha ukucasha ngemfihlo yokuphepha kwezwe kanye nolwazi oluyimfihlo ukuze sigweme noma yikuphi ukuziphendulela komphakathi. .”
Ngokungafani nabanye abangenakubalwa ababone ubufakazi obufanayo kodwa babheka ngenye indlela, uManning wathatha isinyathelo ngokushaya ikhwelo ngesibindi ukuthi labo ababephezu kwemishini yezempi yase-US basakuthola kungathetheleleki.
UWashington uzimisele ukwenza isibonelo ngaye, ukuze axwayise futhi asabise abanye abangaba amakhwela. Kusukela kumongameli kuye phansi, uchungechunge lomyalo lusebenza ukucekela phansi impilo ka-Chelsea Manning. Akufanele sikuvumele lokho kwenzeke.
