An American author and activist delivered 4,500 pages with more than 100,000 signatures to the Nobel Institute in Oslo on Monday. The petitions support the Nobel Peace Prize nomination of convicted US soldier Bradley Manning.
Manning was nominated for the prize by former Nobel Laureate Mairead Corrigan-Maguire, who won the prize in 1977 for her efforts to bring peace to Northern Ireland. Corrigan-Maguire told the British newspaper The Guardian that she thinks Manning’s decision to leak classified documents detailing, among other things, US activity in Iraq helped bring an end to the war in Iraq.
“She writes that she can’t think of anyone who deserves the prize more, and I can’t either,” Norman Solomon, who carried the support petitions for Manning to Oslo, told newspaper Dagsavisen.
Manning’s supporters missed the deadline for this year’s prize, which always passes early in the year, but he may still be a candidate for a future prize. He’s been both hailed and blamed for releasing thousands of documents to WikiLeaks, exposing US military activity, intelligence and diplomat communication that embarrassed US authorities. He was arrested in 2010 and convicted this summer for a series of legal violations. Some consider him a whistle-blower, others a traitor. He faces 136 years in prison.
newsinenglish.no staff
