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Showing Original Post only (View all)BREAKING: Bradley Manning Sentenced to 35 Years for WikiLeaks Disclosures [View all]
Source: NBC News / The Verge
@BreakingNews: Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years for WikiLeaks disclosures - @verge http://t.co/8qFMoqLARQ
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@BreakingNews: More: Bradley Manning prison sentence to be reduced by time served to date plus 112 days, judge says - @Reuters
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Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years in prison for WikiLeaks disclosures
By Jesse Hicks 7 Minutes Ago
Bradley Manning's court-martial reached an end today, with Army Colonel Denise Lind sentencing him to 35 years in prison. She also ordered a reduction in rank to Private, a forfeiture of all pay, and a dishonorable discharge. He will receive credit for 1,294 days for time served.
The WikiLeaks source, arrested in Iraq in 2010 for releasing nearly 700,000 government documents to WikiLeaks, was found not guilty of the most serious charge of "aiding the enemy," which could have resulted in life imprisonment. Manning was found guilty on virtually all other charges under the Espionage Act, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and the code of military justice. The verdict left him facing a maximum 136 years; Lind later found the government had overcharged Manning and reduced that number to 90 years. Within the military justice system, Colonel Lind does not have to explain the reasoning behind Manning's sentence. She did not.
MUCH OF THE PROSECUTION'S CASE TOOK PLACE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS IN ORDER TO PRESENT CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.
During the sentencing phase of the trial, prosecution and defense jousted over the question of consequences. The prosecution sought to demonstrate that Manning's leaks had damaged relationships between American diplomats and their foreign counterparts, for example, but could present only speculative evidence in open court. Colonel Lind rejected testimony about alleged "ongoing" damage from the leaks. Much of the prosecution's case took place behind closed doors in order to present classified information.
Read more: http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/21/4642816/bradley-manning-sentenced-wikileaks-case