The Other Bradley Manning
by NOZOMI HAYASE
Activist Jeremy Hammond has been held without bail since his
arrest in March. He is accused of hacking into the computers of private
intelligence firm Stratfor and giving million of emails to WikiLeaks.
He has been called the other Bradley Manning. While Manning revealed
government wrongdoing, Hammond is alleged to have leaked information
from a private company, helping expose the inner workings of the
insidious and pervasive surveillance state.
When he was 22, Hammond was called an “electronic Robin Hood” using hacking as a means of civil disobedience. He attacked a conservative group’s web site and stole user’s credit cards with the idea of making donations to the American Civil Liberties Union. His intention was in the spirit of taking from the rich and giving to poor. He later changed his mind and didn’t use the credit cards.
Unlike Manning, who is subject to the military ‘justice’ system, Hammond is in a civilian court, which is supposed to follow the Constitution. What happens though when one is placed into jail outside of the public eye is that prisoners are more and more being stripped of their rights and treated inhumanely. Once they are behind bars, they become incognito, losing connection to the outside world. Inside the cage is a twilight zone where laws and conventions can be bent by those who are powerful, with little oversight or accountability.
When he was 22, Hammond was called an “electronic Robin Hood” using hacking as a means of civil disobedience. He attacked a conservative group’s web site and stole user’s credit cards with the idea of making donations to the American Civil Liberties Union. His intention was in the spirit of taking from the rich and giving to poor. He later changed his mind and didn’t use the credit cards.
If he did what he is alleged with Stratfor, it was for the
public good. Documents that he is alleged to have obtained and uploaded
to WikiLeaks revealed spying on activists and others for corporations
and governments. Furthermore, attorney and president Emeritus of the
Center for Constitutional Rights Michael Ratner argued that the Stratfor hacking was a clear case
of entrapment targeting online activist group Anonymous and Hammond. He
explained there was an informant named Sabu and the FBI gave him the
computer onto which the documents were uploaded.
Hammond now has been moved to solitary confinement and has
been virtually cut off from all interaction with the outside world. On
Feb 14, the Jeremy Hammond Support Network posted a message on social media that heavy
restrictions were put on him. The Network reported Hammond now is not allowed any commissary
visits to buy stamps for letters and food, as he does not get enough to
eat. Now visits are limited to his lawyer and telephone contact is
restricted to his brother.
His case is another example of the expanding unchecked
authoritarian power in the justice system in general. Here Hammond
appears to be following similar footsteps as Bradley Manning who also
was placed into solitary confinement. Nahal Zamani, Advocacy Program
Manager at the Center for Constitutional Rights argued how solitary confinement is a form of
torture and is “clearly cruel and unusual punishment. Indeed, the use
of solitary has been condemned as torture by the international
community.”Unlike Manning, who is subject to the military ‘justice’ system, Hammond is in a civilian court, which is supposed to follow the Constitution. What happens though when one is placed into jail outside of the public eye is that prisoners are more and more being stripped of their rights and treated inhumanely. Once they are behind bars, they become incognito, losing connection to the outside world. Inside the cage is a twilight zone where laws and conventions can be bent by those who are powerful, with little oversight or accountability.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of a deeply flawed justice
system combined with an increasingly corporatized prison industrial
complex. Prisoners are marginalized and many are forgotten. Hammond shared his personal experience as prisoner at the
Metropolitan Correctional Center during Hurricane Sandy. He wrote how
because of the storm, the Correctional Center lost power. They had no
hot water or heat and prisoners were left behind with no phone calls,
no visits and no mail. What was revealed was a callous system that
abandons the poor, marginalized and disadvantaged. Hammond noted how as
was seen in the Katrina disaster of New Orleans, New Yorkers
experienced that relief came not from FEMA and government agency but
from grassroots community groups such as Occupy Sandy. He ended his letter saying:
“Very frightening to consider what would happen to us prisoners
– already disenfranchised, silenced, marginalized and forgotten – in
the event of a more devastating natural disaster. There’s a universal
consensus here – ‘they’d probably leave us to die.’”
In addition to this, the US legal system is more and more used
to target political dissidents, especially information activists. In
November 2012, Hammond was denied bail despite his attorney convincingly
arguing that he posed no flight risk and assuring that he would not
have access to computers. The prosecutor insisted he is a flight risk
and Judge Loretta Preska held a very hostile attitude toward Hammond
and stated that the reason for bail denial was that Hammond poses “a
very substantial danger to the community.” Hammond now faces
indictments against him for various computer fraud crimes which could
amount to 37 years to life in prison.
Ratner addressed obvious conflict of interests with judge
Preska sitting on the case against Hammond. It came to light that
Preska’s husband worked for a client of Stratfor, whose emails Hammond
allegedly leaked. Ratner spoke of how the mere appearance of a conflict of
interest is enough for her to recuse herself, according to judicial
rules.
Jeremy Hammond’s case is showing how broken the rule of law has
become in our time. Like Bradley Manning, Barret Brown and the late
Aaron Swartz, this is another case of a high profile activist being
severely targeted by having the book thrown at them with generally
specious charges. The courts have become part of a rigged system that
favors corporations and those politically connected to them. One thing
that these activists seem to have in common is that they actually never
really hurt anyone and are driven by one of the higher ideals that this
country has been founded on -that of a truly informed populace, while
those that are politically targeting them regularly harm and exploit
innocent people.
Holding those who abuse power accountable is becoming nearly
impossible with the current system. More than ever, checks and balance
will only come from the people. It was in response to a public uproar
that Manning was moved from Quantico where he had been
subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment.
This Thursday, February 21, Preska will make a decision on the
defense motion to recuse herself from the case against Hammond and
supporters plan to pack the courtroom to demand a fair trial.
We all have to stay awake and support those who have passed the
twilight gate, who are rendered invisible, marginalized from the rest
of the population. A broken rule of law can be corrected through the
vigilance and conscience of ordinary people; witnessing injustice and
challenging it from all sides. We will be watching.
For information on the Jeremy Hammond Courthouse Support Rally,
go to Revolution News!
Nozomi Hayase is a contributing writer
to Culture Unplugged, and a global citizen blogger, at Journaling
Between Worlds. She can be reached at: nozomimagine@gmail.com
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