Tag: Bradley Manning

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Chelsea Manning requests presidential pardon

Chelsea Manning, formerly known as Bradley Manning, asked President Obama to pardon him for handing over thousands of secret documents to WikiLeaks.

Manning’s lawyer David. E. Coombs filed the formal request for presidential pardon on Tuesday, nearly two weeks after Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Coombs asked Obama to either reduce her sentence to time Manning has already served since her arrest in 2010, or for a full presidential pardon. In either case, Manning would be free to go.

In the request’s cover letter, Coombs wrote that all Manning did was share documents with “a journalist,” stressing that Manning’s actions didn’t harm the United States and that her punishment is disproportionate:

The length of Private Manning’s sentence is one that we would expect for someone who disclosed information in order to harm the United States or who disclosed information for monetary gain. Private Manning did neither.

Instead, he disclosed information that he believed could spark a meaningful public debate on the costs of war, and specifically on how we value human life.

(source)

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Convicted security leaker Bradley Manning seeks to transition as woman

CNN reports that convicted leaker Bradley Manning says he wants to transition as a woman and live his life as Chelsea, not Bradley:

WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning intends to begin hormone therapy for gender reassignment and live the rest of his life as a woman, according to a statement from him read on NBC’s “Today” show Thursday. Manning wants to be referred to as Chelsea — not Bradley — according to the statement. Manning’s announcement comes a day after a military judge sentenced him to 35 years in prison for leaking hundreds of thousands of U.S. military and diplomatic documents.

You can read Manning’s letter at Politico:

“As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me. I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female. Given the way that I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible. I hope that you will support me in this transition. I also request that, starting today, you refer to me by my new name and use the feminine pronoun (except in official mail to the confinement facility). I look forward to receiving letters from supporters and having the opportunity to write back.”

Manning’s lawyer says he intends to fight to ensure that Fort Leavenworth, where Manning is expected to serve the sentence, provides the treatment.

Sentenced to 35 years in prison (although he will be eligible for parole in 7 years), Manning plans to petition President Obama for a pardon:

Bradley Manning will send a personal plea to Barack Obama next week for a presidential pardon after he was sentenced on Wednesday to 35 years in prison for passing hundreds of thousands of classified military documents to WikiLeaks. “When I chose to disclose classified information, I did so out of a love to my country and a sense of duty to others,” Manning will tell Obama. “If you deny my request for a pardon, I will serve my time knowing that sometimes you have to pay a heavy price to live in a free society.”

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Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking military documents

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning was sentenced Wednesday to 35 years in prison for giving hundreds of thousands of secret military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks in one of the nation’s biggest leak cases since the Pentagon Papers more than a generation ago.

Flanked by his lawyers, Manning, 25, stood at attention and appeared not to react when military judge Col. Denise Lind announced the punishment without explanation during a brief hearing.

Among the spectators, there was a gasp, and one woman put her hands up, covering her face.

“I’m shocked. I did not think she would do that,” said Manning supporter Jim Holland, of San Diego. “Thirty-five years, my Lord.”

The former intelligence analyst was found guilty last month of 20 crimes, including six violations of the Espionage Act, as part of the Obama administration’s unprecedented crackdown on media leaks.

But the judge acquitted him of the most serious charge , aiding the enemy, an offense that could have meant life in prison without parole.

The native of Crescent, Okla., digitally copied and released more than 700,000 documents, including Iraq and Afghanistan battlefield reports and State Department cables, while working in 2010 in Iraq.

More at LGBTQ Nation.

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Bradley Manning apologizes, admits he was “dealing with a lot of issues”

Pfc. Bradley Manning, the soldier charged with leaking 700,000 government files to WikiLeaks, told a court Wednesday that he is sorry that “my actions hurt people” and the United States, but hinted his coming to terms with his sexuality played a major role in his actions.

“At the time of the decision, as you know, I was dealing with a lot of issues, issues that are ongoing,” Manning told the judge, Col. Denise Lind. The issues seem a clear reference to the stress his defense attorneys said Manning was under as he came to terms with his homosexuality and gender identity in the era of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

Prior to Manning’s remarks, an Army psychiatrist testified that Manning came to him for help in dealing with gender identify disorder. Capt. Michael Worsley said Manning emailed him a picture of himself dressed as a woman in a letter titled “My problem.” In the letter, Manning said that he had hoped his military career would help him “get rid of” his “problem.”

Manning was convicted last month on a series of charges related to the leaks, but was acquitted of the most serious charges of aiding the enemy. He faces up to 136 years in jail.

In his three-minute address to the court, Manning told the judge that he knew he should be punished for his actions, but hoped that the court would recognize that he was not a bad person.

“I should have worked more aggressively within the system,” Manning said. “Unfortunately, I can’t go back and change things.”

(from Queerty)

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Bradley Manning acquitted of “Aiding the enemy” charge

Bradley Manning

Bradley Manning, the former Army intelligence officer who released thousands of classified government documents to WikiLeaks, was acquitted of aiding the enemy — the most serious charge against him that potentially carried a life sentence — on Tuesday, according to NBC.

Manning was, however, found guilty of another 19 charges, including 5 counts of espionage.

Col. Denise Lind, the judge in Manning’s court martial trial, announced the verdict Tuesday morning in Fort Meade, Md.

Manning had already pleaded guilty to 10 charges that carry prison sentences up to 20 years, as well as a dishonorable discharge, reports NBC.

Manning, 25, who is openly gay, was convicted of violating military code, including failing to obey an order or regulation, reports NBC.

Manning could face up to 125 years in prison as a result of the other charges of which he was found guilty, including “espionage.”

(source)

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FAQ as Bradley Manning trial to begin

Bradley Manning Wikileaks trial to begin

After three years in solitary confinement, the trial of U.S. Army PFC Bradley Manning about to hit full-swing. Queerty has compiled a comprehensive “primer” to catch you up in case you haven’t been following the story for the past three years.

Who Is Bradley Manning?

Bradley Manning is an intelligence analyst who has achieved the rank of Private First Class in the United States Army.

Why Is He on Trial?

PFC Manning was arrested for allegedly passing classified material to the website WikiLeaks while stationed in Baghdad, Iraq, including videos of separate airstrikes in both Iraq and Afghanistan and hundreds of thousands of restricted army reports. The
“Collateral Murder” video, as the one set in Iraq is called, depicts a U.S. Attack Helicopter killing 12 civilians and those who attempted to help the wounded.

What Is the Most Serious Charge?

PFC Manning is facing multiple counts, the most serious of which is Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) Article 104, “Aiding the Enemy,” which is potentially punishable by death.

What Does the Prosecution Think?

Prosecutors are portraying Manning not as a heroic whistleblower, but as a deeply unhappy soldier who craved the fame and notoriety that leaking the classified documents would get him.

What Does the Defense Think?

Manning’s defense team insists that he wasn’t a gloryhound, but a troubled and sensitive soldier that was struggling with his gender identity and was deeply disturbed by the daily realities of life on the ground in Iraq.

Why Are People Protesting For PFC Manning?

After the arrest, Manning was placed in solitary confinement under “Prevention of Injury” status. He was not allowed to speak to other detainees, could only leave his cell for 20 minutes a day, and had to remove his clothing to sleep among other very restrictive rules. There is some speculation that the “Prevention of Injury” status is due to Manning’s perceived instability due to his gender identity issues, and Manning’s treatment was a cause of international concern, even being addressed by President Obama during a White House press conference. There are also people who see the uncovering of multiple war crimes in the videos and documents he released as being in the grand tradition of whistleblowing, and that he should be seen as a hero and not a criminal.

Read the full comprehensive guide to the Manning trial at Queerty.