PFC Bradley Manning, the 24-year-old US Army intelligence analyst, is accused of sharing a video of the killing of civilians—including two Reuters journalists—by a US helicopter in Baghdad, Iraq, with WikiLeaks.  He is also charged with blowing the whistle on the Afghan War Diary, the Iraq War Logs, and revealing US diplomatic cables. In short, he’s been charged with telling us the truth.

The video and documents have illuminated the true number and cause of civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, human rights abuses by U.S.-funded contractors and foreign militaries, and the role that spying and bribes play in international diplomacy.

The leaks have given Americans a greater insight into how foreign policy is made than we’ve ever had before.  Almost half of every edition of The New York Times has cited one or more of these documents during the past year. The leaks have caused Amnesty International to hail Wikileaks for catalyzing the democratic Middle Eastern revolutions and changing journalism forever.

This is the first time in U.S. history that someone is being charged with “Aiding the enemy through indirect means” by making information public.

A massive, popular outpouring of support for Bradley Manning is needed to save his life.

We are at a turning point in our nation’s history. Will we as a public demand greater transparency and accountability from our elected leaders? Will we be governed by fear and secrecy? Will we accept endless war fought with our tax dollars? Or, will we demand the right to know the truth—the real foundation of democracy?

By supporting Bradley Manning’s freedom, and expressing outrage against charges that would imprison a conscientious whistle-blower for life, the American people can help show our elected leaders that the American democratic spirit is alive and well, and demands a return to greater government transparency and accountability.  Please pledge now to act in support of Bradley Manning during the pretrial hearing period.