Veteran whistle-blower Daniel Ellsberg and a retired US Army colonel were among protestors arrested on Sunday outside the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia, as hundreds gathered to protest at the treatment of WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning.
Manning, the 23-year-old Army private accused of passing hundreds of thousands of classified military and State Department documents to the whistle-blowing site, has been held in virtual isolation since his arrest last May, under conditions described by some commentators as 'torture'.
Reports indicate that Manning is woken every hour during the night, denied basic comforts such as sheets or a pillow, and has been forced to strip naked for long periods.
Last week, State Department spokesman PJ Crowley was forced to resign after calling Manning's treatement "ridiculous and counterproductive".
Local police made 34 arrests after protesters allegedly blocked a road intersection outside the base. Those arrested included former marine Ellsberg and retired US Army colonel Ann Wright.
Around 400 protesters, including many military veterans, had gathered to march outside the gates at Quantico, carrying placards with the slogan "Free Bradley Manning".
