Bradley Manning, the military intelligence analyst who released more than 700,000 confidential documents to WikiLeaks, was sentenced to 35 years in prison early Wednesday.
Manning released classified files in 2010 while working as an intelligence analyst in Baghdad. Manning’s defense lawyer argued that Manning had hoped to enlighten the public about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. His lawyers also emphasized the stress surrounding his environment, his sexuality, and a recent breakup at the time of the leaks.
David Coombs, Manning’s defense lawyer, pled with the court, “His biggest crime was he cared about the loss of life he was seeing and was struggling with it,” The Washington Post, reports.
Reuters quotes Steven Bucci, a foreign policy specialist at the Heritage Foundation, “The message will be sent in a loud and clear fashion to all those in uniform that they do not get to make decisions on what is legitimate and what is not, with regard to U.S. policy,”
Ben Wizner, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, responded to the sentence, “When a soldier who shared information with the press and public is punished far more harshly that others who tortured prisoners and killed civilians, something is seriously wrong with our justice system.”
Many believe that Manning was charged too harshly simply to prevent future leaks. His sentence will be shortened by the three years he’s already spent in prison. He will be eligible for parole in eight years.