by: Greg Mitchell
UPDATED: A verdict in the the case of United States of America v. Manning, Bradley E., PFC., at Fort Meade, Maryland, wwas delivered at 1 pm today by the presiding judge, Col. Denise Lind. The first to emerge was the big one: found not guilty of aiding the enemy. But convicted of multiple counts of violating espionage act. In all, convicted of 19 charges, including those he pleaded guilty to some time ago.
EARLIER TODAY: Unlike most days, there is a crush of media showing up at the courtroom. I'll be covering the verdict and aftermath, analysis and reaction, all afternoon.
***
Pre-verdict: here's an AP report: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/30/wikileaks-trial-verdict_n_3675635.html?utm_hp_ref=politics, which does good job of quoting experts on how the "aid the enemy" charge is something new and dangerous, for the media and for whistleblowers. Democracy Now! will cover verdict live here: http://www.democracynow.org/
Among the other charges, Manning still faces the most serious “aiding the enemy” charges that could send him to prison for the rest of his life. The mood of most Manning supporters—who gathered for a demonstration there this morning—was pessimistic, although there were hopes for some leniency in the sentencing phase, when his motivation (and alleged lack of serious harm caused by the leaks) will finally get full play.
On Monday, Manning’s attorney, David Coombs, said that he would call twenty-four witnesses in the sentencing phase of the trial, coming up tomorrow. Manning much earlier pleaded guilty to several charges but the judge will need to affirm them today.
SOURCE: http://www.thenation.com/blog/175501/verdict-bradley-manning-case-today-not-guilty-aiding-enemy-more-updates#axzz2aY9yf0WE
No comments:
Post a Comment