MILITARY JUDGE ACQUITS BRADLEY MANNING OF AIDING THE ENEMY

MILITARY JUDGE ACQUITS BRADLEY MANNING OF AIDING THE ENEMY

Posted By: Seawitch [Send E-Mail]
Date: Tuesday, 30-Jul-2013 16:33:21

Military Judge Acquits Bradley Manning of Aiding the Enemy Activist Post Nathan Fuller at Bradleymanning.org has given us gracious permission to reprint his daily firsthand reports, which you can find below highlighted by date. Summaries, commentary, and videos provide a comprehensive chronicle of events from start to finish. Pfc. Bradley Manning has been acquitted of the most serious charge against him: aiding the enemy. After over 1,000 days in confinement, some of which was tantamount to torture, Manning will not go down in history as the arch-villain that the government tried to portray him as. However, Manning was found guilty on 19 of the lesser computer-related charges associated with the mechanics behind the leak itself. He also previously pled guilty to other charges, which on their own could be 10-20 years in prison. Now, with the new ruling, Manning is looking at a maximum 135-year sentence. As the crackdown continues on journalists and whistleblowers alike, this should be counted as no small victory that at the least this heroic whistleblower was not defined as an enemy of the state. However, the ACLU and Amnesty International still rightly point out that the government has its priorities upside down by ultimately sentencing him under The Espionage Act, thus treating him and others as de facto enemies of the state. Meanwhile, truly egregious acts such as torture and other crimes against humanity are reluctantly, if at all, even investigated. Manning's full sentence could be issued tomorrow. Bradley's family issued a statement, which you can read below: Via The Guardian: While we are obviously disappointed in today’s verdicts, we are happy that Judge Lind agreed with us that Brad never intended to help America’s enemies in any way. Brad loves his country and was proud to wear its uniform. We want to express our deep thanks to David Coombs, who has dedicated three years of his life to serving as lead counsel in Brad’s case. We also want to thank Brad’s Army defense team, Major Thomas Hurley and Captain Joshua Tooman, for their tireless efforts on Brad’s behalf, and Brad’s first defense counsel, Captain Paul Bouchard, who was so helpful to all of us in those early confusing days and first suggested David Coombs as Brad’s counsel. Most of all, we would like to thank the thousands of people who rallied to Brad’s cause, providing financial and emotional support throughout this long and difficult time, especially Jeff Paterson and Courage to Resist and the Bradley Manning Support Network. Their support has allowed a young Army private to defend himself against the full might of not only the US Army but also the US Government. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THIS LINK: http://www.activistpost.com/2013/06/trial-begins-for-military-whistleblower.html?m=1