Bradley Manning "British by descent" says U.K. govt

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In a letter raising "concerns" to Washington over the pre-trial treatment of alleged military whistleblower Bradley Manning, the U.K. government asserted that he is "British by descent" after campaigners lobbied for the U.S. to allow his mother (who is from Wales) to visit him.

In a parliamentary debate late on Monday, the Foreign Office minister Henry Bellingham said staff at the British embassy in Washington had expressed concerns to the state department on 29 March about the treatment of Manning, who has not been tried or convicted. In response to the debate, he said, "we will instruct our officials at our embassy in Washington again to report our concerns to officials in the state department".

While acknowledging that Manning's lawyer has stated that he does not hold a British passport or consider himself to be British, the minister stressed that the soldier "is British by descent" despite being born in the US, thanks to his mother's nationality.

Bradley Manning supporters welcome UK government's expression of concern [The Guardian]