Manning Out of Solitary

USA Today reports:

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, suspected of downloading classified data and passing it to WikiLeaks, will be housed with other medium-security military prisoners at Fort Leavenworth, where he was transferred last week, the Army said today.

The announcement came as the Army took reporters on a prison tour to try to counter reports of Manning's previous harsh, solitary confinement at the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va. No photos or videotaping were allowed.

Prison commander Lt. Col. Dawn Hilton told reporters that Manning had passed physical and psychiatric evaluations given to new inmates and will be housed -- in his own 80-square-foot cell -- amid about 10 other prisoners awaiting trial, the Associated Press reports. More prison details here (pdf).

At Quantico, Manning was held in solitary for 23 hours a day, stripped naked each night and given a suicide-proof smock in which to sleep.

Pentagon officials said such conditions met basic standards and were appropriate to the seriousness of the charges against Manning.