Bradley Manning’s was today sentenced to 35 years in prison. The sentencing was done by Army Colonel Denise Lind sentencing who also ordered a reduction in rank to private, a sacrifice of all pay and allowances, and a dishonorable discharge. On top of that he will receive credit for 1,294 days for time served. Manning also has the possibility of a clemency finding that would reduce his sentence.
The WikiLeaks source, was arrested in Iraq in 2010 for releasing nearly 700,000 government documents to WikiLeaks, and recently not found guilty of the most serious charge of “aiding the enemy,” which could have resulted in life imprisonment. He was however was found guilty on virtually all other charges under the Espionage Act, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and the code of military justice. This verdict left him facing a maximum 136 years; the court-martial later found the government had overcharged Manning and reduced that number to 90 years. Within the military justice system, Colonel Lind does not have to explain the reasoning behind Manning’s sentence. She did not, taking less than two minutes to read the sentence. Bradley Manning showed no visible response.
Before delivering the sentence, Lind reminded attendees about court rules barring outbursts from the gallery. After she finished reading the verdict and exited the courtroom, several Manning supporters reportedly yelled, “We’ll keep fighting for you, Bradley” and “You’re our hero.”
Manning’s defense attorney, David Coombs, has scheduled a press conference for 1:30PM EST.
