WikiLeaks source Chelsea Manning goes to trial – The Verge

Post-sentencing, Bradley Manning’s lawyer to petition President Obama for pardon

2013-08-21T14:03:59-04:00

manning

After his client was sentenced to 35 years in prison, defense attorney David Coombs indicated he will petition President Obama to pardon Bradley Manning. He described Manning as a whistleblower who tried to present necessary information to the American people - who Coombs called the ultimate oversight in the United States democracy. Coombs said Manning provided valuable insight into a secret realm most American citizens would otherwise never see. "Make no mistake about it," he said, "the cancer of over-classification is threatening the very fabric of our society." He described a "government-wide crackdown on whistleblowers," referencing the …

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Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years in prison for WikiLeaks disclosures

2013-08-21T10:18:01-04:00

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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 allowances, and a dishonorable discharge. He will receive credit for 1,294 days for time served. According to an Army spokesman, Manning would be eligible for parole after serving 1/3 of his sentence; with additional credit for time served, he could face 8-9 years. Manning also has the possibility of a clemency finding that would reduce his sentence.

The WikiLeaks source, arrested in Iraq in 2010 for releasing nearly 700,000 government documents …

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In WikiLeaks trial, defense shows Bradley Manning as suffering, well-intentioned idealist

2013-08-16T12:13:49-04:00

manning

When, at the end of July, Bradley Manning was found guilty of nearly all the charges facing him, his long-running story entered a new chapter. With his guilt established, the trial turned to the matter of his punishment. He faces a potential 90 years in prison, and the judge, Army Colonel Denise Lind, holds his fate in her hands. She will consider the consequences of Manning's actions and the circumstances surrounding them. The deeper question Lind will also consider, though, is: who was Bradley Manning then, and who is he now?

He was arrested in May 2010 while still stationed in Iraq, suspected of leaking some 700,000 government documents, …

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WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning apologizes: ‘I believed I was going to help people, not hurt people’

2013-08-14T17:24:24-04:00

bradley manning assets

As his legal defense closed today, WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning offered a brief, unsworn statement to the court. Directly addressing the judge and appearing at times to struggle with his emotions, he apologized for his actions and for what he described as a failure to work "more aggressively inside the system." He expressed hope that he could atone for his mistakes, and that he could eventually "return to a productive place in society."

After his conviction on charges under the Espionage Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Manning faced a potential 136 years in prison. Early in the post-conviction, sentencing phase of the trial, A …

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Bradley Manning not guilty of aiding the enemy, faces up to 136 years for other charges

2013-07-30T13:19:20-04:00

Bradley Manning

As she said she would, Army Colonel Denise Lind has delivered her verdict in the Bradley Manning case, finding him not guilty on the most serious charge, aiding the enemy. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), aiding the enemy is a capital offense, though prosecutors said they would only ask for life in prison. After Manning pled guilty to 10 counts through a process called "exceptions and substitutions," the government chose to move forward with all 22 offenses, leaving Manning to face the possibility of life in prison plus 154 years.

Manning avoids the most serious charge against him, which could have meant life in prison

Toda …

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Bradley Manning’s verdict will be announced on Tuesday: here’s what you need to know

2013-07-29T11:50:03-04:00

bradley manning assets

Before there was PRISM, there was the largest national security leak in US history.

Right now, a military judge is deliberating the fate of Bradley Manning: a US Army intelligence analyst who confessed to leaking around 700,000 classified diplomatic cables and other secret information about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

After spending more than 1,000 days in prison without trial - with months of that incarceration spent in isolation - Manning eventually had his day in court. A verdict in the trial is expected this week.

Here's what led to this point, and why his fate still isn't sealed.

From basic training to a prison bed

In 2007, 22- …

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Judge denies Bradley Manning’s motion to drop WikiLeaks charges

2013-07-18T10:41:37-04:00

Bradley Manning

The judge in Bradley Manning's court-martial today upheld a set of charges against the Army private, including that of aiding the enemy, for providing information to WikiLeaks. Prosecutors argued that Manning's leaks indirectly aided information to the enemy, a fact he should have known given his training as an intelligence analyst. The defense countered that at the time of the leaks, WikiLeaks was generally viewed as a journalistic outlet dedicated to publishing secrets, and that Manning's training had never specifically dealt with the site. At the time, the defense argued, even the US Army didn't regard WikiLeaks as a threat.

Manning will …

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Crowdfunded court stenographers must be admitted to Manning trial, judge rules

2013-06-11T13:55:07-04:00

bradley manning assets

After being initially denied admittance, court stenographers hired through a crowdfunding campaign to transcribe the trial of whistleblower Pfc. Bradley Manning must be given permanent access to the courtroom, judge Colonel Denise Lind has ruled.

Since the military court does not provide any public record of the proceedings and no electronics are allowed in the courtroom, the Freedom of the Press Foundation has set up a fundraising campaign to hire two stenographers to create a public transcript of the historic trial, which began last week. Of the 350 media organizations who applied for press credentials, only 80 were given access and only …

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Did Bradley Manning ‘aid the enemy’? Questions loom as historic WikiLeaks trial begins

2013-06-03T18:57:46-04:00

bradley manning assets

Bradley Manning's trial began today. In a small, densely packed and windowless courtroom in Fort Meade, Maryland, the Army private and former intelligence analyst sat quietly as the prosecution presented its opening statement. He stands accused of providing a massive trove of government information to the disclosure portal WikiLeaks - around 700,000 documents, including diplomatic cables and SIGACTS ("significant activity" reports) providing an unprecedented, detailed look at the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For the prosecution, Captain Joe Morrow opened not with his own words but with a quote from Bradley Manning, taken from an online cha …

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Bradley Manning trial secrecy sparks crowdfunding drive for court stenographer

2013-05-10T04:19:23-04:00

bradley manning assets

The nonprofit Freedom of the Press Foundation is raising money to pay for a court stenographer to transcribe the events of Bradley Manning's court martial. Over the next three to four months, the group hopes to raise the $40 - $50,000 it needs in order to pay someone to transcribe each day's proceedings. In a press release, the organization decried the military court's overbearing secrecy including its refusal to release an official transcript or copies of written rulings in one of the most widely-reported cases in history. As a result, journalists have had to rely on first-hand accounts from independent reporters like Alexa O'Brien and Kevi …

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