Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Military judge finds Bradley Manning not guilty of aiding the enemy http://www.davidicke.com/headlines/88007-military-judge-finds-bradley-manning-not-guilty-of-aiding-the-enemy 'A US military judge has found Army private first class Bradley Manning "not guilty" of aiding the enemy – a landmark ruling that could predict how the US government responds to whistleblowers exposing classified information. Sitting in the military courtroom at Fort Meade, Md., Colonel Denise Lind delivered her verdict after 1 p.m. EDT on Tuesday. Manning had chosen to put all his faith in the judge, rather than a panel of his peers – a risky gamble that paid off for the 25-year-old Army intelligence analyst. The judge delivered the verdict that truth-advocates, protesters and members of the Bradley Manning Support Network had eagerly awaited: that the Army private first class was not guilty of aiding the enemy – a charge that could have carried a life sentence without parole.' Read more: Military judge finds Bradley Manning not guilty of aiding the enemy -------------------------------------------------------------- Bradley Manning trial verdict: Acquitted of aiding the enemy, convicted on lesser charges A military judge Tuesday acquitted Pfc. Bradley Manning of aiding the enemy — the most serious charge the Army intelligence analyst faced for leaking hundreds of thousands of classified military reports and diplomatic cables. Manning was convicted on nearly all of the lesser charges considered by the judge, Army Col. Denise Lind, in connection with the largest breach of classified material in U.S. history. The suspense at the court martial session was limited because Manning previously pled guilty to 10 of the 22 counts he faced. Those charges carry a potential sentence of 20 years. The aiding-the-enemy charge can lead result in a sentence of up to life in prison or event to the death penalty, but the military did not seek capital punishment in Manning’s case. If convicted on all charges apart from aiding the enemy, Manning faced a potential sentence of up to 154 years.' Read more ... Sent by gReader

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