Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years in prison
By Paul Courson, CNN
updated 12:54 PM EDT, Wed August 21, 2013
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/21/us/bradley-manning-sentencing/#
Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years
Manning's lawyer: He should not 'rot in jail'
The sentencing wraps up a case of what prosecutors called the biggest leak of classified materials in Army history. The documents included field reports from Army units in Iraq and Afghanistan, video of a U.S. helicopter attack that killed two journalists in Iraq and unvarnished assessments of other countries' leaders by American diplomats overseas.
Prosecutors have said Manning acted as a "determined insider" in leaking classified information about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, arguing his actions created grave risk, disrupted diplomatic missions and endangered lives.
But WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Manning's disclosures revealed misconduct and human rights abuses around the world, while protests that the release of those documents would get people killed "have all been false."
"There's a wide range of investigations and prosecutions of people for torture, resignations of different figures in various people in the world as a result of corruption fueled by this information," Assange told CNN's "The Lead" in July.
The disclosure of cables from U.S. embassies in late 2010 came in for particular criticism, with U.S. officials arguing they would make it harder for Washington to get accurate appraisals of the countries where American diplomats work. But in 2011, the human rights group Amnesty International said leaked State Department cables helped galvanize opposition to longtime Tunisian strongman Zine El Abedine Ben Ali by revealing the depth of his government's corruption.
Ben Ali was toppled by a popular revolt that January -- the first of the "Arab Spring" revolutions still roiling the Middle East. Assange called Manning a "hero."
Capt. Joe Morrow, the prosecutor, said Manning's arrogance meant that he "felt he alone was knowledgeable and intelligent enough to determine what information was to be classified."
"There may not be a soldier in the history of the Army who displayed such an extreme disregard" for his mission, Morrow said Monday during final sentencing arguments.
But Manning's lawyer, David Coombs, contended he could be redeemed. Coombs did not ask for a specific sentence, but said his client was an excellent candidate for rehabilitation and that he should not be left to "rot in jail."
"Perhaps his biggest crime was that he cared about the loss of life that he was seeing and couldn't ignore it," he said of Manning's decision to turn over the explosive information to WikiLeaks.
Judge explains verdict
"This is a young man capable of being redeemed," Coombs said in final remarks. "The defense requests, after the court considers all the facts, a sentence that allows him to have a life."
Manning was found guilty of 20 of the 22 charges against him, including violations of the U.S. Espionage Act. He avoided a potential life sentence when Lind rejected charges that his actions aided the enemy.
Manning apologizes, tells court he must pay price
CNN's Chris Lawrence contributed to this report.
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By Paul Courson, CNN
updated 12:54 PM EDT, Wed August 21, 2013
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/21/us/bradley-manning-sentencing/#
Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years
Manning's lawyer: He should not 'rot in jail'
The sentencing wraps up a case of what prosecutors called the biggest leak of classified materials in Army history. The documents included field reports from Army units in Iraq and Afghanistan, video of a U.S. helicopter attack that killed two journalists in Iraq and unvarnished assessments of other countries' leaders by American diplomats overseas.
Prosecutors have said Manning acted as a "determined insider" in leaking classified information about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, arguing his actions created grave risk, disrupted diplomatic missions and endangered lives.
But WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Manning's disclosures revealed misconduct and human rights abuses around the world, while protests that the release of those documents would get people killed "have all been false."
"There's a wide range of investigations and prosecutions of people for torture, resignations of different figures in various people in the world as a result of corruption fueled by this information," Assange told CNN's "The Lead" in July.
The disclosure of cables from U.S. embassies in late 2010 came in for particular criticism, with U.S. officials arguing they would make it harder for Washington to get accurate appraisals of the countries where American diplomats work. But in 2011, the human rights group Amnesty International said leaked State Department cables helped galvanize opposition to longtime Tunisian strongman Zine El Abedine Ben Ali by revealing the depth of his government's corruption.
Ben Ali was toppled by a popular revolt that January -- the first of the "Arab Spring" revolutions still roiling the Middle East. Assange called Manning a "hero."
Capt. Joe Morrow, the prosecutor, said Manning's arrogance meant that he "felt he alone was knowledgeable and intelligent enough to determine what information was to be classified."
"There may not be a soldier in the history of the Army who displayed such an extreme disregard" for his mission, Morrow said Monday during final sentencing arguments.
But Manning's lawyer, David Coombs, contended he could be redeemed. Coombs did not ask for a specific sentence, but said his client was an excellent candidate for rehabilitation and that he should not be left to "rot in jail."
"Perhaps his biggest crime was that he cared about the loss of life that he was seeing and couldn't ignore it," he said of Manning's decision to turn over the explosive information to WikiLeaks.
Judge explains verdict
"This is a young man capable of being redeemed," Coombs said in final remarks. "The defense requests, after the court considers all the facts, a sentence that allows him to have a life."
Manning was found guilty of 20 of the 22 charges against him, including violations of the U.S. Espionage Act. He avoided a potential life sentence when Lind rejected charges that his actions aided the enemy.
Manning apologizes, tells court he must pay price
CNN's Chris Lawrence contributed to this report.
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Coli e-militants get more pathetic daily it seems.
does your Jay-Z stanning know no limits ( 
). This was one of the best songs', hooks', and beats' on the album.
. They gave him just enough of a sentence to ruin his life, but also a number that they can act like they didnt take his life away. They sent a message to the next manning/snowden while retaining their big brother-esque 'sympathy' for bradley.
.
