The United Nations special rapporteur on torture has just submitted his findings on Washington's prolonged and controversial detention of WikiLeaks hero Bradley Manning. Simply put, he has concluded that the punitive conditions imposed on him, before being pronounced guilty, amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. The former U.S. intelligence analyst has been under incarceration since May 2010 for allegedly having leaked secret State Department cables to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks. Mr. Manning is charged with over 20 offences, of which that of aiding the enemy could even attract the death penalty. The United States government has hampered investigations into his treatment - including solitary confinement for eight months, ostensibly to prevent him from causing harm to himself. Significantly, the U.N. special rapporteur, Juan Mendez, who has concluded his 14-month investigation, was denied a private interview with the detainee. The findings, which form part of his report last week to the U.N.

Human Rights Council, is the latest attempt to elicit U.S. cooperation in the investigations into Mr. Manning's incarceration. Earlier, over 50 members of the European Parliament and hundreds of American legal scholars had written to the U.S. Congress noting that 17 months had elapsed in bringing the accused before a pre-trial court.