July, 29 2013, 01:11pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Nathan Fuller, 516-578-2628,press@bradleymanning.org
Bradley Manning Verdict Tomorrow 1 pm Eastern
In an ominous sign for Manning, military judge Denise Lind altered important charges last week in order to assist prosecutors ahead of verdict. In so doing, defense attorney David Coombs explained, "The Government has pushed this case beyond the bounds of legal propriety. If the Government meant 'information', it should have charged information." Up until last week, Manning was charged with stealing entire databases. The Defense has no way to defend Manning against these new charges after the fact.
WASHINGTON
In an ominous sign for Manning, military judge Denise Lind altered important charges last week in order to assist prosecutors ahead of verdict. In so doing, defense attorney David Coombs explained, "The Government has pushed this case beyond the bounds of legal propriety. If the Government meant 'information', it should have charged information." Up until last week, Manning was charged with stealing entire databases. The Defense has no way to defend Manning against these new charges after the fact.
Army private Bradley Manning faces a potential life sentence for passing hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents to the transparency website WikiLeaks, to expose U.S. criminality in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and further abuses around the world.
Never in the history of American military law has a person been charged with Article 104 of the Uniform Code of Military Law, "Aiding the Enemy," for providing information to the media in the public interest. However, Manning faces life in prison tomorrow if convicted of this charge alone--despite all evidence to the contrary.
"I believed that if the general public, especially the American public, had access to the information ... this could spark a domestic debate on the role of the military and our foreign policy in general," Manning said in a February statement.
Manning has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three years in a row.
Military justice mandates no minimum sentences; Manning's sentencing phase will begin in the coming days, with new witnesses, arguments, and evidence. This important phase is expected to last much of the month of August.
What: Military Judge Col. Denise Lind to read verdicts on 21 charges against US Army WikiLeaks whistle-blower PFC Bradley Manning
When: Tomorrow, July 30, 2013, at 1 PM ET (credentialed media arrive approx. 11 AM)
Where: Ft. Meade, Maryland, enter at intersection of Reece Rd. and MD 175 (Annapolis Road)
The Chelsea Manning Support Network was a coalition of groups and individuals engaged in supporting the U.S. Army whistleblower.
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