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Private Visits With WikiLeaks Suspect Denied

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- The lawyer for an Army private suspected of giving classified material to WikiLeaks says the military is refusing to grant his client private jailhouse visits with a U.S. congressman, a United Nations torture investigator and Amnesty International.

Civilian attorney David Coombs blogged on Thursday that military officials say none of these visits with Pfc. Bradley Manning would constitute official government business, so the meetings must be monitored.

Coombs says the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va., is breaking ts own rules by denying U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich a private meeting with Manning. The lawyer says members of Congress on official government business aren't subject to monitoring.

The Ohio Democrat and the other prospective visitors say they want to see if Manning is being mistreated in pretrial confinement.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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