Judge Cuts (Potential) Sentence for WikiLeaks Soldier (Manning)

[Hissyspit]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Tx4obama (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Otago Daily Times

Judge cuts sentence for WikiLeaks soldier

Wed, 7 Aug 2013

A US military judge reduced potential prison time for Private First Class Bradley Manning to 90 years from 136 years by ruling that some sentences for leaking secret files to WikiLeaks should be merged.

Court-martial Judge Colonel Denise Lind convicted Manning, 25, last week on 19 criminal counts, including espionage and theft, for providing more than 700,000 secret files to WikiLeaks in the largest unauthorized release of secret data in US history.

Lind ruled that some counts resulted from the same offenses and should be merged to avoid "an unreasonable multiplication of charges."

Manning's attorneys had objected that the prosecution was overreaching in seeking separate sentences for all the espionage charges. His lawyers acknowledged he had downloaded files on different days, but said he grouped many of them into single files before transmitting them in 2010 to WikiLeaks, a pro-transparency website.

For most of the espionage charges resulting from the transmissions, "there is no evidence of prosecutorial overreaching," Lind said.

Read more: http://www.odt.co.nz/news/world/267756/judge-cuts-sentence-wikileaks-soldier

[loudsue]

1. Has anybody noticed that our country has become a nightmare?

Bradley Manning has been tortured enough.

[snappyturtle]

4. YES! He's a 25 year old with more sense than many older. This is

NUTS! So does he get out after 45 years of good behavior or something?

[tblue]

7. Ain't that the truth?

United States of Atrocity.

I can't stand it. Ya know, loudsue, some of us realize that and others of us think our future is salvageable with a few tweaks. It's not. We've undergone a coup d'état really and truly.

[cstanleytech]

9. Are you by any chance refering to when they take his clothing away

because they claimed they feared he might commit suicide? If so then I hate to break it to you sue but that isnt torture, thats just prudence when there is a legit concern for the safety of a person in custody who its feared might be at risk of committing suicide.
Perhaps though you are referring to something else though? Was he waterboarded? Was he kept in a painful position for hours and hours? Did they use dogs on him like at Abu Ghraib?

[blackspade]

12. No, This:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/12/bradley-manning-cruel-inhuman-treatment-un

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/12/01/1166253/-The-Torture-Techniques-Used-on-Bradley-Manning#

http://www.salon.com/2010/12/15/manning_3/

[cstanleytech]

14. To break it down.

First link - opinion piece

Second link - more opinion though with a grain of possible torture regarding the stress position aspect.

Third link - opinion piece

Dont get me wrong though, I dont care for the whole solitary confinement part however none of these things has squat with his guilty or innocence.
At most it might and I stress its a big might be a mitigating factor in his sentencing but I wouldnt count on it.

[BlueManFan]

2. He'll Be So Relieved

he'll only be 112 when he finally gets out.

[JimDandy]

3. One analyst had it close when he said the potential prison time

for all the remaining charges should be 100 years.

[OnyxCollie]

5. He also gets 120 days served

for the length of time he was tortured. Thanks, judge!

[BlueJazz]

6. Let us be fair now. He'll get 90 but will actually serve only 80.

I wonder what the Bush gang of Crooks will receive as punishment for all the lives they've ruined ?

[cstanleytech]

10. He shouldnt even get 80 though I could see 5 - 15 for it but not more then that. nt

[tblue]

8. Talk about a distinction without a difference.

He should a year's credit for every day they made him go naked. That was awful.

[blackspade]

11. Unbelievable that they are looking at giving him 90 years

While murderers and torturers walk free.

[msongs]

13. he should've deliberately torched a US nuke sub...that guy is getting way shorter time nt

[Tx4obama]

15. Locking, sorry. LBN Dupe. Please continue discussion on LBN link below

LBN OP here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014558396

Thanks