Private Bradley Manning, the whistleblower behind the biggest military leak in American history, has been acquitted of the charge “aiding the enemy”. This was the most serious offence he had been charged with and had he been found guilty he would of been jailed for life without any chance of parole. That said, Bradley Manning still finds himself in a tough situation after being found guilty of five counts of theft, five counts of violating the espionage act, computer fraud charges and a variety of military infractions under the uniform code of military justice.
Bradley Manning had requested a judge not a jury to determine his fate. Prior to the trial Bradley Manning had spent nearly 3 years in custody since being arrested for the huge leak of information he made to WikiLeaks that allowed them to publicly release information about thousands of U.S war crimes and other “hushed up” incidents. Bradley Manning is expected to be sentenced later on today, July 31st. Given all his other charges he could still be sentenced in a way that sees him spend the rest of his life in jail.
Hero or a criminal? What are your thoughts on Bradley Manning?
Image courtesy of The Telegraph
He did the right thing. I feel sorry for the judge as well as him as i imagine the lobbying must be huge. you have some sections of the US that want his head on a pike while other sections that want him decorated for standing up to the system, something that’s ingrained in the US constitution. From my point of view in the UK, i suspect he’ll spend the vast majority of his life behind bars, the US has a habit of acting like a bully, and no bully likes it when the tables are turned against them.
Its sad, but most people in the U.S. are cold-hearted. Its just the way its become and its rather depressing.
The fact there was so much stuff going on that he revealed is even more surprising and disgusting.
It’s not ‘most people’ who are like that surprisingly. average people on the east and west coasts generally more open minded. it’s the southern states you have to keep an eye on.
EDIT: and the people in charge who you really need to keep an eye on… lets face it, the US political system is one of the most corrupt leaders in the world.