(MintPress) – Jeremy Hammond, an Internet hacker and Wikileaks contributor is being called the “other Bradley Manning” as he is moved to solitary confinement this week. It’s an unconstitutional attempt to silence the activist responsible for leaking 5 million emails that exposed widespread corruption within private corporations and foreign governments.
Hammond has been held without bail or trial for more than 11 months. He could face life in prison for releasing millions of emails from
Stratfor, a security firm contracted by governments and private companies.
The 27-year-old activists’ lawyer asked Federal Judge Loretta Preska to recuse herself from the case in December because her husband worked for a client of Stratfor. Preska’s husband was among those who had his email hacked when the cache of emails was made public on Wikileaks in early 2012. Despite this clear conflict of interest in the case, Preska has not recused herself.
The massive leak revealed crimes committed by Stratfor when the firm gathered information to help Goldman Sachs employees engage in insider trading. Additionally Stratfor employees had knowledge that up to 12 members of Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) knew of Osama bin Laden’s presence in Pakistan long before the U.S. raid in May 2011.
Dozens of foreign governments and corporations were implicated in similar crimes exposed by the major email release. The firm’s use of cash bribes was so regular; emails show Stratfor CEO George Friedman retaining a law firm to protect employees against investigations into widespread corruption.
In August 2011, Stratfor CEO George Friedman told his employees “We are retaining a law firm to create a policy for Stratfor on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. I don’t plan to do the perp walk and I don’t want anyone here doing it either.”
Hammond, the man merely responsible for exposing these widespread crimes has been the only individual punished. Supporters maintaining the Free Jeremy Hammond blog report this week that the hacktivist will remain in solitary confinement for an unknown amount of time, virtually cut off from any interaction with the outside world.
“At this point, he will not be able to receive visits (other than his lawyers) and will have heavy restrictions on phone calls. He is still able to receive mail, although less regularly,” write supporters in a post last week.
Hammond has been dubbed by some as “the other Bradley Manning” for receiving similarly harsh treatment during his unconstitutional imprisonment.
Manning has been held for nearly 1,000 days without charge or trial for leaking over 500,000 classified intelligence documents to the Wikileaks website. The documents revealed widespread corruption and war crimes committed by U.S. forces during wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.