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Michael Lyons released from military detention

wise up for bradley manning | 27.11.2011 17:36 | Anti-militarism | Repression | Terror War

Earlier this month, Michael Lyons, the navy medic who was sentenced to detention in Colchester Military Corrective Training Centre for refusing to take up arms and protesting the war in Afghanistan, was released.

Michael Lyons was inspired to take action after studying some of the material Bradley Manning is accused of disclosing via WikiLeaks, especially about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bradley Manning's pre-trial hearing starts on 16 December in the US.

Michael Lyons
Michael Lyons


BACKGROUND

Read more about Michael Lyons' case here:

 http://wiseupforbradleymanning.wordpress.com/2011/07/17/write-to-bradley-manning-and-michael-lyons/
 http://wiseupforbradleymanning.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/vigil-for-michael-lyons-6-august/

AT PEACE WITH HIS DECISIONS

In an open letter  http://veteransforpeace.org.uk/2011/09/02/a-message-from-lillian-lyons/ written while Michael was in detention, his wife Lillian said:

"Despite the difficulties Mike has faced he is completely at peace with all of his decisions. He says that he has a clear conscience and if he had done anything differently he wouldn’t be able to live with himself so he is happy and proud of what he has made a stand against."

THE IMPORTANCE OF SOLIDARITY

Solidarity actions were held for Michael Lyons in Colchester and around the country. Some supporters visited Michael in prison. Many others wrote letters and lots contributed to an appeal for donations instigated by London Catholic Worker  http://www.londoncatholicworker.org to help defray the substantial costs for Lillian of visiting Michael – a 700 mile round trip.

The importance for prisoners of receiving letters of solidarity and support cannot be overstated. Lillian writes:

"One of the most important things is how amazed he is by all the support he and I have both had and how it has meant so much and how strongly he feels about the fact that if it wasn’t for all the letters from around the world he received on a daily basis he is not sure how he would have coped."

Michael has said that one thing he would now save if his house was on fire would be his box of support letters.

FREEDOM!

Michael and Lillian are now busy getting on with their lives and their plans to pursue (civilian!) medical careers. Last word to Lillian, who wrote just after Michael had been released:

"Michael is fine, he’s really happy and keeps shouting FREEDOM every now and again! It’s all a bit surreal for him but he is cherishing every minute of it!"

wise up for bradley manning
- e-mail: wiseupforbm[at]yahoo.com
- Homepage: http://wiseupforbradleymanning.wordpress.com

Comments

Hide the following 4 comments

Blackout

27.11.2011 19:27

As usual the BBC failed to report on this - either nationally or locally. Is it because they hope to manufacture a consensus, or just don't know what is going on - or can't be bothered to write anything that doesn't come from a PR consultant?

Ashe


The Progressive Workers Movement of the Workers Commonwealth.

27.11.2011 19:40

Progressive Workers Movement of the Workers Commonwealth takes on the duty as resistence to Imperialist Wars of Aggession which is necessary to save the planets web-of-life from destruction.
This is a matter we take up for solution to the worlds'empires refusal to leave the stage of History and Herstory. The U.S. and British Imperialists have taken the wrong discredited path of Might make Right, Unilateralism, Pre-emptive strikes, causing unjust, Illegal violence according to the anti-fascist covenants, which are in content the worlds International laws reguarding the goal of liberation from aggressive war as any nations foreign policy.
These covenants are the Nuremburg Trials, Geneva Conventions of War, the United Nations Charter and the International War Crimes Tribunal ( Bertrand Russell Syle) Along of course with the 1st Cdn. Div. These anti-fascist covenants of national and international supreme laws are being upheld by Bradley Manning and Julian Assange. These people are being unjustly persecuted for siding with the world laws that gurantee freedom of the press., and truth as the function of journalism.

The corrupt politicians ( the one percent) of the Western World have decided that truth to the world is a National security risk, seeing their practices have betrayed the anti-fascist fighters of the British 8th Army, the British International Brigades, the Mackenzie-Papineau Brtigade and the First Canadian Division by not implementing the programe of liberation that those brave soldier fought and died for, which is not other than scapping the war machine, and thusly to the possibility of freeing the peoples again.

The return of the British tribes free lifestyle necessitates the electing of women equally (Gender Parity) natures 50-50 electing which would double democracy thoughout all levels of society, politically, economically, culturally, judicially, and religo-wise. That is to say the matriarchy would be restored, and the natural man, woman question materially allowed the joy and harmony that is the natural man, woman question.

Aggressive wars as any nations foreign policy would be ended, and the UN Charter upheld which says that the UN is formed to make war just a long distant memory for the comming generations. Welcome to the real world of change and the end of Empires rule of destruction of the environment for monied privilege. Lyons and all the other soldiers of resistence to unjust wars, and illegal aggression are to be seen as the real heroes and returned to the best the Progressive Workers can provide for a living world. Scrapping the Worlds' war machine and its manufactury would end the depression as it would free up more than twelve trillion dollars to guaranteed the worlds organic livability again.

Viva medicare that cures all sickness. End pollution wars, that cause all sickness. Workers of the world, Unite!! We are the 99% and the time is now.

Union Jack.


specific deceit

28.11.2011 08:21

The military is sold to young people as a defense force whose function is to perform humanitarian work. I have attended many of their enrollment days.... its pretty shocking stuff. At no point do they say that the heroic forces will be deployed at the whims of the politicians and their powerful benefactors to shore up mineral wealth and geopolitical interests. The forces are sold as a sort of modern day thunderbirds, going around the world like supermen, fixing all the wrongs and rescuing little girls from burning buildings etc....
So is it any wonder that a lot of the young people who join up get more than a little bit confused when they experience the reality. The UK military is one of the moronic stooges of the evil materialists who are raping our earth. Afghanistan is not only a vital strategic area (gas pipelines etc.) but also contains vast untapped mineral wealth. The imperial powers have been trying to get hold of it for literally ages. In fact when the USSR invaded Afghanistan, 60 nations including USA and UK boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
Yet we can expect the usual disgusting display of nationalism and misuse of the word hero at the London games.
If you serve in the UK armed forces, then your are in fact a terrorist, even though most of the youngsters who join up think they are going to be heroes. Can you imagine the fear they generate when they are carpet bombing your town or when drones hunt "militants" and end up killing children "by accident"?
Good luck to the young man with his new freedom and future medical career. Wanting to be a medic is truly a heroic thing.

general deception


cowards that lie

28.11.2011 08:31

The senior military especially the recruitment officers are cowards.
THEY LIE!
How many recruits would they get if they told the truth?
It is no wonder they are so keen to hide the truth.
Cowards lie and hide and only bully those littler than themselves, otherwise they would kick off on china or russia.... but they can only be heroic against Afghanistan, Libya etc....
horrible lying cowards!
real heros are people like this kid who wants to be a medic. Its a shame the armed forces are not used exclusively for humanitarian work, then they could all be heroes like this kid!
He should be an admiral in a naval humanitarian force, providing medical aid to any region of the world.

jk


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