We've written before about Pfc. Bradley Manning, the young American soldier accused of leaking government documents to WikiLeaks. Manning was held for nine months in a windowless cell in Virginia, for 23 hours a day, while awaiting trial. He had his glasses taken away so that he could not read, he was subjected to sleep deprivation through repeated physical inspections at night, and he was repeatedly forced to strip naked.
Earlier this year, a military court ruled that Manning’s treatment was excessively harsh. As a result, Manning would have 112 days taken off his sentence if convicted of a crime. Today, the verdict was handed down - Manning was found "not guilty" of the most serious charge against him, "aiding the enemy." However, he was found guilty of another 19 charges, including 5 counts of espionage.
Below is the ACLU comment on the verdict:
"While we're relieved that Mr. Manning was acquitted of the most dangerous charge, the ACLU has long held the view that leaks to the press in the public interest should not be prosecuted under the Espionage Act," said Ben Wizner, director of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy and Technology Project. "Since he already pleaded guilty to charges of leaking information – which carry significant punishment – it seems clear that the government was seeking to intimidate anyone who might consider revealing valuable information in the future."
