WASHINGTON — The US Marine Corps said Wednesday it will close a prison in Virginia that came under criticism for its treatment of a soldier accused of passing secrets to WikiLeaks.A military spokesman said the move was not related to the case of Bradley Manning, the 23-year-old US Army intelligence analyst who allegedly handed over a trove of classified documents to the WikiLeaks website.
The commander of the Marine base at Quantico has recommended "that the pre-trial confinement facility be closed" as a cost-saving measure, the Marine Corps said in a statement.
Major Stewart Upton told AFP that "the recommendation was made after balancing the cost of continued operation against the convenience of having such a facility aboard MCB (Marine Corps Base) Quantico, the low number of detainees, personnel savings, base security, and anti-terrorism and force protection interests."
Human rights groups had accused the military of imposing harsh conditions on Manning at Quantico even though he has yet to go to trial on charges of "aiding the enemy" and divulging secret government documents.
In April, Manning -- who had been held in solitary confinement at Quantico and denied regular sheets and blankets -- was transferred to a prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas where he will face less strict conditions.
The brig at Quantico has held other high-profile suspects since it was built in 1972, including John Hinckley Jr. who was accused of attempting to assassinate president Ronald Reagan in March 1981. He was found not guilty for reasons of insanity.
Another inmate at the Quantico brig was Clayton Lonetree, a Marine security guard in Moscow who was convicted of espionage in 1987.
In the future, detainees could be held at other military prisons in Virginia or at civilian detention centers, the Marine Corps said.
Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight, is a computer game developed and published by Mindscape in 1991. It was released on the Amiga and one year later converted to DOS-based PCs. The title is a play on A Hard Day's Night.
Moonstone's gameplay blends several different genres, including strategy, real time fighting and role-playing games.
It allows up to four players to participate in a basic turn based Role Playing Game with real time combat for any encounters. It is also notable as one of the goriest games of its time, with some exceptionally bloody fight and death scenes, similar in tone to the famous Black Knight fight scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
The game has a large cult following and is widely regarded as one of the best games available on the format. The game is highly sought after as a collectible; an original copy in good condition with all the original included contents, including a map of the game world, is extremely rare.
Exclusive snapshot of Moonstone Remake (Servant of God) :
