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From VOA Learning English, |
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this is In The News. |
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An American military judge this week |
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sentenced Army Private Bradley Manning |
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to 35 years in prison for espionage. |
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Manning provided more than 700,000 |
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classified files and other materials |
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to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. |
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Officials have described the case |
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as the largest leak of restricted documents |
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in American history. |
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The judge, Colonel Denise Lind, |
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announced the sentence Wednesday |
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at a military base in Maryland. |
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She said the 25-year-old former intelligence specialist |
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would be dishonorably discharged |
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from the armed forces. |
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He will be barred from future military service |
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and lose rights to any pay he is owed. |
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The Oklahoma native has already spent |
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three years in detention. |
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He had faced as long as 90 years in prison |
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for providing American secrets to WikiLeaks. |
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Government lawyers called for a 60-year sentence. |
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Under military rules, |
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Manning could be considered for |
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a conditional release from prison |
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in less than nine years. |
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The sentencing followed a 12-week trial |
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and a long legal battle over the release |
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of hundreds of thousands of records. |
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They included diplomatic messages |
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and American battlefield reports |
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from Iraq and Afghanistan. |
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One video showed an American helicopter attack |
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that killed two civilians. |
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Manning says he wanted to show the wrongfulness of war |
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and American actions overseas. |
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But government lawyers say he betrayed his country. |
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Morris Davis formerly served as the government's main lawyer |
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in cases against accused terrorists |
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at Guantanamo military base in Cuba. |
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He says the Manning case required a strong sentence. |
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He adds that the information given to WikiLeaks |
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did more to damage the image of the United States |
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than harm national security. |
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"There was no real value to al-Qaida |
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or anyone else from these classified documents |
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when they could go on Google |
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and get the same information. |
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It's hard to see where there's any real |
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harm here other than just embarrassment |
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to the United States government." |
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The judge cleared Manning |
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of the more serious charge of aiding the enemy. |
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In court, Manning expressed regret |
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for harming the country. |
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The soldier and his lawyers said |
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he had idealistic goals in releasing the information. |
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They said he believed he could publicize the truth |
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about American involvement in the wars |
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in Iraq and Afghanistan. |
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His lawyer, David Coombs, |
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compared Manning's actions to anyone who exposed wartime truths. |
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He called the case a defining event in press freedom |
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that threatens the flow of information to the public. |
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The case raised questions about |
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why the Army put Manning in a sensitive position. |
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The court heard evidence that he had emotional problems. |
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A military doctor described him |
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as having a gender identity disorder. |
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Manning did not receive treatment while in Iraq. |
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On Thursday, Manning announced |
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that he is female |
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and wants to live as a woman named Chelsea. |
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Tommy Sears heads the Center for Military Readiness. |
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The group has criticized the military's cancellation |
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of a ban on homosexuals openly serving in the armed forces. |
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He says the leaks might not have happened |
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if Manning had been given help for his emotional issues. |
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And that's In The News from VOA Learning English. |
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I'm Bob Doughty. |
