Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years in prison

Pfc. Bradley Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Wednesday for leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks.

This is a much lighter sentence than expected. According to Reuters, Judge Colonel Denise Lind could have sentenced Manning to as many as 90 years, while prosecutors asked for 60.

In addition to the prison sentence, Manning will be downgraded in rank to private E1, forfeit his pay and allowances, and be dishonorably discharged from the U.S. military, The Guardian reports. According to Associated Press, he will also receive a three year credit for the time he has already served in prison, but will not be eligible for parole until he has served a third of his sentence.

Throughout his trial, the soldier still maintained that he intended to reveal U.S. military secrets to spark a debate among the public. After apologizing for his actions during the trial, he stated, "When I made these decisions, I believed I was going to help people, not hurt people."

Photo courtesy of US Army, Wikimedia Commons

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