- Hundreds of demonstrators protest treatment of suspected WikiLeaks leaker
- 1971 Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg among the protesters
- Ellsberg, retired Army Colonel Ann Wright, among dozens arrested
(CNN) -- Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the gates of Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia Sunday to protest the treatment of Bradley Manning, who is being held at the base prison on charges that he released classified government documents to the whistle-blower site WikiLeaks.
Among them were Daniel Ellsberg, the 1971 Pentagon Papers leaker and Retired U.S. Army Col. Ann Wright, both of whom were arrested along with at least 31 other protesters, according to rally organizers.
The 23-year-old Army private is accused of giving WikiLeaks hundreds of thousands of classified military and State Department documents and is awaiting a military decision on whether he will face a court martial.
The protesters marched near the base, carried placards, shouted slogans, chanted "Free Bradley Manning" and left flowers in front of an Iwo Jima monument at the entrance of the base. Supporters of Manning and WikiLeaks also made speeches deploring Manning's alleged treatment and asserting that the dissemination of secret military documents is vital for democracy.
Later police arrested dozens of protesters for apparently blocking an intersection to a road leading to the base. Prince William County police did not provide CNN information about the arrested protesters Sunday night, including what possible charges they might face.
Reports that Manning has been held in near-total isolation and forced to sleep without clothing during his nearly eight-month detention has sparked outrage from human rights and peace activists. The controversy even played a hand in the resignation of now-former State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley, who reportedly suggested that the Defense Department is mistreating Manning.
Ellsberg said that Crowley "acted honorably and boldly" for uttering the remarks that got the former Defense Department spokesman fired. Crowley called the treatment of Manning at the hands of the military "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid."
Ellsberg called Manning's detention illegal.
"The president could change this treatment of him. Apparently, (Obama) has been told by the Defense Department that this is appropriate," Ellsberg said. "That's a terrible commentary on our standards, which means that they feel free to use illegal measures against someone in their custody."
Ellsberg said the Marines holding Bradley should not wait for an order from Obama "to stop disobeying the law."
Ellsberg said his opinion is shared by legal experts across the country.
"As a Marine I am ashamed that the corps is doing this," said Ellsberg, "and I would like to see them stop it."
Sunday evening, the protesters put their grievances in a open letter addressed to President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
In addition to Ellsberg and Wright, the letter is signed by a number of musicians and actors, including Rosanne Cash, Michael Stipe of R.E.M., Danny Glover and Viggo Mortensen.
The Obama administration has said repeatedly that Manning is being treated properly.
David House, a friend of Manning's disputes that. House said that he has visited Manning nine times since the soldier was taken into custody. House said that his friend appeared to be in "decline mentally and physically," recently.
House said Manning also has been reluctant during recent visits to discuss his treatment. Manning's attorney has said that, among other things, his client has been put on suicide watch and forced to stand at attention while naked.
Military officials have said Manning has been forced to sleep naked to prevent him from committing suicide.
"There can be no conceivable justification for this type of degrading treatment," the letter from the activists says. "It brings back memories of the abuses committed in Abu Ghraib, which blackened the reputation of America's armed forces."
The letter demands an immediate investigation into the conditions of Manning's detention.
On Sunday, many of the 400 supporters, peace activists and veterans tried to enter an administrative building to deliver a letter to Base Commander Daniel Choike, but were stopped by police.
It was the second straight day of rallies -- and arrests -- for many of the protesters, including those from antiwar groups Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against War and Code Pink, who attended a demonstration in front of the White House on Saturday to mark the eight anniversary of the war in Iraq.
For Ellsberg, Sunday marked his second arrest for the weekend.
Ellsberg famously leaked thousands of classified documents -- dubbed the Pentagon Papers -- that revealed that top American officials were actively concealing the "unwinnable" reality of the Vietnam War from the public.
Ellsberg has become an outspoken antiwar activist, and of late, a strong supporter of Manning, with whom he says he shares a bond as a fellow whistle-blower.
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