The court-martial of Pfc. Bradley Manning for 20 charges in the WikiLeaks case, including aiding the enemy and espionage, began Monday and could last up to 12 weeks and result in a life sentence.
Manning has already pled guilty to and been convicted of 9 lesser charges related to the approximately 700,000 classified documents he released to WikiLeaks, brainchild of Australian Julian Assange. The case will be a trial of his character and motivation rather than the facts or events. In fact, Reuters.com reports that the prosecution has already called a character witness: a reformed computer hacker and friend, Adrian Lamo, who chatted with Manning online before turning him in.
According to the NYTimes.com, prosecutors are calling Manning a traitor who knowingly put fellow soldiers in danger, while defense attorney David Coombs portrays him as a principled, if naïve, whistle-blower.
Part of the issue at hand is whether Manning was, in fact, selective, as the defense claims, or if he simply chose documents at random to release, as the prosecution has stated. Another source of contention is when exactly he started leaking, what motivated him to do so, and whether he was aware that the leaks were being accessed by Osama bin Laden.
Manning has garnered a great deal of support from the public, including funds contributed to his legal fees, messages, and protests, as pictured below.