Bradley Manning given 35 years

[nom de guerrevara]

US soldier Bradley Manning has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking classified information to the anti-secrecy site WikiLeaks.

Manning will also be dishonourably discharged from the military, a military judge ruled on Wednesday.

He could have been sentenced to up to 90 years in prison. Prosecutors had asked for at least 60 years; Manning's lawyer suggested no more than 25 because by then, some of the documents Manning leaked will be declassified.

The judge convicted the 25-year-old last month of 20 offenses, including six violations of the Espionage Act.

Manning leaked some 700,000 Iraq and Afghanistan battlefield reports and US State Department diplomatic cables in 2010 while working as an intelligence analyst in Iraq. He also leaked video of a US helicopter attack in Baghdad in which at least nine people were killed, including a Reuters news photographer.

Manning's defense argued that his aim had been to "spark a broader debate" on the role of the US military and make Americans aware of the nature of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

According to defense testimony, military supervisors ignored erratic behavior on the part of Manning which included trying to grab a gun during a counseling session.

Last week, Manning apologised to the court for what he had done, saying "I understand I must pay a price for my decisions."

Manning's attorney David Coombs will also ask for a pardon from US President Barack Obama, The Bradley Manning Support Network, a group backing the soldier said.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/08/2013821142421404254.html

[The Feral Underclass]

He is entitled to parole after a third of his sentence and has been given 3.5 years for time already served, plus credits for unlawful imprisonment, which means he should be eligible for parole after 8 years.

That's essentially a victory...Providing of course that he's given parole. Unlikely?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/21/bradley-manning-sentencing-wikileaks-live

[Consistent.Surprise]

He is entitled to parole after a third and has been given 3.5 years for time already spent plus credits for unlawful imprisonment, which means he should be eligible for parole after 8 years.

That's essentially a victory...Providing of course that he's given parole. Unlikely?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/21/bradley-manning-sentencing-wikileaks-live

Seems they are reporting in 10 he is eligible.

Victory was his not-guilty ruling. These are the small charges he plead guilty to. All of his charges are bullshit to me.

I think he will continue to be made an example & is going to be in prison a lot longer than the initial 10. I'm thinking 15 at the least.

[The Feral Underclass]

Getting a not-guilty ruling was a fantasy.


Seems they are reporting in 10 he is eligible.

They can't do their maths whoever "they" are :p

[Consistent.Surprise]

Getting a not-guilty ruling was a fantasy.



They can't do their maths whoever "they" are.

The non-guilty was aiding the enemy.

Seems reporting is all over the place on numbers. I see more saying just under 10 (which is the 1/3-the 3.5. So, between 8 & 10 is what I can glean)

It all still will go to appeals.

[nom de guerrevara]

The only way that Manning will get out on parole (or even before that) is if there is a protest movement built against the US' state's persecution of Whistleblowers. The only reason the courts will ever rule in favor of the oppressed is if it's from mass pressure from below. That was the only reason George Zimmerman was arrested (even if he was eventually acquitted), and it's the only way ANY rights in society are won.

It's quite clear that the capitalist courts can't be relied upon to achieve justice. Now the American People must rely upon themselves to do so.