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By insisting that the treatment of Bradley Manning in the marine corps brig was "appropriate and meets our basic standards", Obama is saying that it is normal to hold hundreds of navy and marine prisoners in conditions that the majority of the world community would consider torturous (US legal scholars voice outrage at treatment of Manning, 11 April).
The world should not only be looking at Manning's treatment but that of every prisoner being held in US navy confinement facilities. Obama's justification of Manning's treatment makes him worse than Bush and Cheney, as they justified their torture by claiming it was for the purpose of obtaining intelligence on terrorist activities. Obama as commander-in-chief is permitting cruel and inhumane treatment of prisoners in brigs for no other purpose than to make an example of those violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
The treatment of prisoners in the marine brigs is worse than the treatment of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay. Obama should, if he doesn't want to be the first Nobel peace prize winner to be accused of condoning torture, act to force the marines to stop the harsh and inhumane treatment of prisoners in the brigs, or close them and put the prisoners in the confinement facilities of other services.
George Lewis
Brackley, Northamptonshire
• Let us hope that the outrage expressed by Obama's former law colleagues and America's most eminent legal scholars about the shameful treatment of Bradley Manning may move the UK government to protest robustly about his treatment and demand consular visits and support, to which he is entitled as a holder of joint UK/US citizenship.
It beggars belief that Guantánamo-style treatment/torture is meted out to a soldier brave enough to have allegedly released information which should be in the public domain, and not kept secret because it recounts atrocities committed in war.
Alan Gerrard
York
• Having redefined the word "torture" to allow themselves to waterboard suspects, the United States has now redefined the word "private" (Top UN official reprimands US for blocking Manning visit, 12 April). If Bradley Manning has an "official" meeting with a visitor, it is held in private. If he has a "private" meeting, it is held with a guard present, listening to the entire conversation.
Dudley Turner
Westerham, Kent
