US Army soldier Bradley Manning was arrested in May 2010 in Iraq on suspicion of having passed classified information to Wikileaks
UPDATE: Bradley Manning plans to live as a woman named Chelsea and wants to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible, the soldier said Thursday, a day after being sentenced to 35 years in prison for sending classified material to WikiLeaks. Manning announced the decision in a written statement provided to NBC’s “Today” show, asking supporters to refer to him by his new name and the feminine pronoun. The statement was signed “Chelsea E. Manning.”
“As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me. I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female. Given the way that I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible,” the statement read.
(Source)
Aug. 21, 2013
July 31, 2013
Aug. 21, 2013
Manning handed 35-year prison sentence
Bradley Manning, the U.S. soldier convicted of the biggest breach of classified data in the nation's history by providing files to Wikileaks, was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Wednesday. Judge Colonel Denise Lind, who last month convicted Manning of 20 charges including espionage and theft, could have sentenced him to as many as 90 years in prison. Prosecutors had asked for 60 years. (Source)July 31, 2013
Sentencing of Manning Started, Could Take a Month
The trial of Pfc. Bradley Manning is entering the sentencing phase on Wednesday. The WikiLeaks informant is facing up to 136 years in prison after being found guilty of 20 counts under the Espionage Act. It could take over a month for the judge, Army Col. Denise Lind, to render a punishment for Manning.
Both the prosecution and defense are expected to call around 10 witnesses each to address the soldier’s motives in leaking a trove of 700,000 war logs, diplomatic cables and other files to the anti-secrecy site.
The defense has suggested that Manning himself may even be called as a witness as his sentence is calculated. He previously spoke at a pre-trial hearing of his wish to expose faulty US policies, stating that he did not believe he would harm his country. However, he did not testify over the course of the two month-long trial itself.
The alleged damage that Manning’s leak did will be taken into consideration before determining his sentence. US officials said the consequences of the publication could be dire, citing the discovery of some of the materials at Osama bin Laden’s compound. A Pentagon review later suggested those fears may have been blown out of proportion.
Twelve of the 20 counts which Manning had been found guilty of carry maximum sentences of 10 years each in prison. Lind may not hand out the maximum allowable sentence on each count, and also has the power to rule that Manning will serve out his sentences concurrently rather than consecutively. (Source)
July 30, 2013
MANNING ACQUITTED OF AIDING ENEMY CHARGE
BREAKING: Bradley Manning not guilty of aiding the enemy but convicted of multiple counts of violating Espionage Act - @charlie_savage— NewsBreaker (@NewsBreaker) July 30, 2013
Manning not guilty of aiding the enemy, faces 100+ yrs in jail on 19 other charges
Wikileaker Manning still faces the possibility of some 136 years behind bars, having been found guilty of at least five charges of espionage, five counts of theft, and four counts of embezzlement of government property offenses.
However, he was found not guilty of espionage for the release of the infamous "Collateral Murder" video.
Manning has pleaded guilty to 10 offenses, but denied 12 counts related to and including the aiding the enemy allegations.
Manning has admitted he provided classified information to WikiLeaks in an attempt to spark public debate on U.S. actions in Iraq and around the world.
Much of the information included classified State Department cables between Washington and various diplomatic outposts.
However, Manning also sent classified video of U.S. air strikes in Iraq where civilians were injured or killed.
He provided a video that showed American attack helicopters firing on foreign journalists in Iraq when the news crew was mistaken for a group of insurgents.
Manning supporters claim his actions shed much-needed light on flawed American diplomatic, military and intelligence operations.
However, Army prosecutors argued successfully that by making that information public, Manning essentially hand-delivered U.S. state secrets to American adversaries like al Qaeda, the Taliban and other global terrorist organizations.