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Bradley Manning Apologizes at Trial
Julian Assange Says Libertarians are the Only Hope for America
Snowden Finally Leaves Russian Airport
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From ABC News
FT. MEADE, Md. -- Bradley Manning, the Army private convicted of leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents to the website WikiLeaks, was sentenced to 35 years in a military prison today.
Pfc. Manning will also be reduced in rank to private, forfeit all pay and allowances and receive a dishonorable discharge.
Manning expressed no emotion as a military judge announced the sentence. He was then quickly escorted out of the courtroom.
He will serve his prison sentence at the military's detention facility at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
From the American Civil Liberties League
August 21, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: 212-549-2666, media@aclu.org
NEW YORK – A military court-martial today sentenced Pfc. Bradley Manning to 35 years in prison for giving classified material to WikiLeaks. Ben Wizner, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy & Technology Project, had this reaction:
"When a soldier who shared information with the press and public is punished far more harshly than others who tortured prisoners and killed civilians, something is seriously wrong with our justice system. A legal system that doesn't distinguish between leaks to the press in the public interest and treason against the nation will not only produce unjust results, but will deprive the public of critical information that is necessary for democratic accountability. This is a sad day for Bradley Manning, but it's also a sad day for all Americans who depend on brave whistleblowers and a free press for a fully informed public debate."
Statement from Julian Assange
Today the well-known whistleblower Bradley Manning has been ordered by a military court in Maryland to spend a minimum of 5.2 years in prison with a 32 year maximum (including time already spent in detention), for revealing information about US government behaviour to the public.
This hard-won minimum term represents a significant tactical victory for Bradley Manning’s defense, campaign team and supporters. At the start of these proceedings, the United States government had charged Bradley Manning with a capital offence and other charges carrying over 135 years of incarceration. His defense team is now appealing to the US Army Court of Criminal Appeals in relation to this sentence and also for due process violations during the trial.
While the defense should be proud of their tactical victory, it should be remembered that Mr Manning’s trial and conviction is an affront to basic concepts of Western justice. On Mr Manning’s arrest in May 2010, he was immediately subjected to punitive incarceration by the US government, which was found to be "cruel, inhumane and degrading" by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, and even found to be unlawful by US military courts.
The period Mr Manning has already spent in prison will be subtracted from the sentence, and dispensations for good behaviour, parole and other factors mean that it is likely he will now spend less than ten years in confinement. Mr Manning’s defense team are now seeking to reduce this sentence further on appeal. US military law stipulates that the sentence can only be reduced. It is important that support for Bradley Manning continues during this time.
The only just outcome in Mr Manning’s case is his unconditional release, compensation for the unlawful treatment he has undergone, and a serious commitment to investigating the wrongdoing his alleged disclosures have brought to light.
Mr Manning’s treatment has been intended to send a signal to people of conscience in the US government who might seek to bring wrongdoing to light. This strategy has spectacularly backfired, as recent months have proven. Instead, the Obama administration is demonstrating that there is no place in its system for people of conscience and principle. As a result, there will be a thousand more Bradley Mannings.
Here's the war crime video Bradley Manning exposed http://t.co/AKFdB3aFe3
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) August 21, 2013
White House reaction to Bradley Manning question at briefing: "Not today." I guess they have 35 years to comment.
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) August 21, 2013
Glad I, uh, got my question in during today's WH briefing. pic.twitter.com/aunkoRiDvV
— jennifer bendery (@jbendery) August 21, 2013
Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg on Bradley Manning: "one more casualty of a horrible, wrongful war": http://t.co/UQebDHcTYQ
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 21, 2013
Update 8/21/13: Amnesty International calls on Obama to commute sentence to time served http://t.co/mm6XITCFCo #... http://t.co/Gs3CY3cQPy
— bradass87 (@_bradass87) August 21, 2013
RT @apblake: Bradley Manning's attorney: "Julian Assange and @Wikileaks are no different than any other journalists."
— FriendofTrees (@Jamiastar) August 21, 2013
BREAKING: Attorney for Bradley Manning asks President Obama to pardon Manning or commute his 35-year prison sentence.
— Steve Grzanich (@SteveGrzanich) August 21, 2013
Cornel West here in support of Bradley #Manning pic.twitter.com/CBZNXFOEI3
— Naureen Shah (@naureenshah) August 21, 2013
Timeline: Key events in the Bradley Manning trial http://t.co/zmOMRZZ4mj #AlJazeeraAmerica
— Al Jazeera America (@ajam) August 21, 2013
Twitter weeps for Bradley Manning after 35-year sentence handed down http://t.co/yISZmUSDq8
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) August 21, 2013
We condemn today’s sentencing of Bradley Manning as an attack on freedom of the press. https://t.co/5iZloePYGd
— Micah Lee (@micahflee) August 21, 2013
Lady Gaga Calls Bradley Manning Sentencing "Devastating," Other Stars React: Lady Gaga is not a happy camper. ... http://t.co/vTsGrutGYs
— IG: Vicanbi (@vicanbi) August 21, 2013
Bradley Manning Gets 35 Years for Exposing War Crimes. George W. Bush Gets a Library Named After Him for Committing Them. #p2 #tcot
— TheNewDeal (@TheNewDeal) August 21, 2013
In Bradley Manning, We Finally Have a Scapegoat for the Iraq War http://t.co/paAAXAf5rn
— The Nation (@thenation) August 21, 2013
Bradley Manning's just a few months older than me. Wonder if I'd show the same fortitude as him. What do we make of his sentence?
— Rumman (@rummanAMS) August 21, 2013
Nobody is surprised Bradley Manning has gone to jail for a long time are they? Disgusted, sad, scared and upset yes, but not surprised.
— Andy Lancaster (@Marwood) August 21, 2013
It could have been worse for Bradley Manning. It probably will be for future leakers. http://t.co/sTBFJLrrwG
— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) August 21, 2013
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Bradley Manning got 15 more years in prison than John Walker Lindh, who fought directly against the US alongside the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
— Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) August 21, 2013
.@sarahkendzior @joshuafoust John Walker Lindh didn't fall under the UCMJ.
— Gus (@Gus_802) August 21, 2013
One fallout of the verdict is that Manning had agency in his choices, and choices have consequences we should consider before making them
— joshuafoust (@joshuafoust) August 21, 2013
@joshuafoust Can anyone name a single country where someone would go unpunished for doing the same as Manning?
— Nick Nipclose (@NickNipclose) August 21, 2013
@NickNipclose @joshuafoust as @Green_Footballs pointed out... Had it been Russia, he'd been executed.
— Roy D. (@rdishy) August 21, 2013
After the way Bradley Manning was treated, who can blame any whistleblower in America for fleeing and seeking asylum elsewhere?
— Sunny Hundal (@sunny_hundal) August 21, 2013
@sunny_hundal Since he was a soldier under a different section of U.S. law, the UCMJ, plenty can.
— joshuafoust (@joshuafoust) August 21, 2013
Calling law enforcement "an affront to democracy" is certainly novel. http://t.co/KvecMDDoSa
— joshuafoust (@joshuafoust) August 21, 2013
Similarly, saying he never *intended* to hurt anyone is nice… but dodges the fact that he actually did, repeatedly http://t.co/KvecMDDoSa
— joshuafoust (@joshuafoust) August 21, 2013
Also for an Icelandic MP to say "our public servants" while referring to the US government is, again, novel http://t.co/KvecMDDoSa
— joshuafoust (@joshuafoust) August 21, 2013
No Manningites want to grapple with what would happen if governments decide they no longer should enforce the law or military discipline.
— joshuafoust (@joshuafoust) August 21, 2013
@joshuafoust I suspect many Manningites don't think there should be a military at all.
— Richard Mehlinger Jr (@rmehlinger) August 21, 2013
While we're at it: "other crimes aren't punished as badly" is not an argument against Manning's sentence any more than one's waving hands is
— joshuafoust (@joshuafoust) August 21, 2013
@joshuafoust The government simply cannot give low-level employees the discretion to publicly release classified documents.
— Hoosegow Flask (@HoosegowFlask) August 21, 2013
Yeah, not really a constructive response either. RT @NoBigGovDuh: @joshuafoust Go kill yourself before we find you.
— joshuafoust (@joshuafoust) August 21, 2013
@joshuafoust @NoBigGovDuh Also called for Anonymous to punish judge and prosecutor. So liberal!
— Schmendrick (@ATLGreg1) August 21, 2013
@joshuafoust I woke up late and I'm annoyed. I think it conveys that nicely.
— NoBigGovDuh (@NoBigGovDuh) August 21, 2013
@setislady @nobiggovduh I don't think it was a serious threat, it's more an indicator of (very low) maturity on that troll's part.
— joshuafoust (@joshuafoust) August 21, 2013
Bradley Manning supporter Tweets to Joshua Foust, "Go kill yourself before we find you." https://t.co/PnUlL5wqPM
— Gus (@Gus_802) August 21, 2013
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