Manning says he wanted to show the wrongfulness of war and American actions overseas. But government lawyers say he betrayed his country.
Morris Davis formerly served as the government’s main lawyer in cases against accused terrorists at Guantanamo military base in Cuba. He says the Manning case required a strong sentence. He adds that the information given to WikiLeaks did more to damage the image of the United States than harm national security.
“There was no real value to al-Qaida or anyone else from these classified documents when they could go on Google and get the same information. It’s hard to see where there’s any real harm here other than just embarrassment to the United States government.”
The judge cleared Manning of the more serious charge of aiding the enemy.
In court, Manning expressed regret for harming the country. The soldier and his lawyers said he had idealistic goals in releasing the information. They said he believed he could publicize the truth about American involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
His lawyer, David Coombs, compared Manning’s actions to anyone who exposed wartime truths. He called the case a defining event in press freedom that threatens the flow of information to the public.
The case raised questions about why the Army put Manning in a sensitive position. The court heard evidence that he had emotional problems. A military doctor described him as having a gender identity disorder. Manning did not receive treatment while in Iraq.
最新
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25