On July 2nd, motions were filed to direct not-guilty verdicts on some of the most serious of the charges facing PFC Bradley Manning, the soldier who found himself under court-martial after he leaked classified documents and videos to the website Wikileaks.org. The charges in question are “aiding the enemy,” committing computer fraud, and stealing government property.
“We’re expecting a significant legal victory next week,” said Jeff Paterson, project director for the Bradley Manning Support Network. “The government’s incompetent over-prosecution has been a welcome surprise.”
The oral arguments were heard in court on July 15th, and court is currently in recess until Thursday, July 18th.
Manning’s supporters are calling into question the perception of WikiLeaks itself, arguing that it was seen as a legitimate journalistic outlet before government rhetoric sullied its reputation and turned it into an outlet widely viewed as being associated with terrorism. On this, they may have a good start, as the judge denied the government’s request for their witness to rebut the testimony of Professor Yohai Benkler, who testified in length in defense of the journalistic legitimacy of WikiLeaks.
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As far as the other charges, Manning’s defense is contending that the way the government has charged him with “aiding the enemy” punishes people for getting information out to the press, and that the charge is being used not only to discipline him, but to discourage any future whistleblowers.
The computer fraud charges are being fought largely on technicalities and semantics. Manning’s defense argues that all the information he shared was information that he had access to without bypassing any firewalls. Whether he had access to the information or used computer systems to download them is a crucial point in whether or not the computer fraud charges will be dropped.
Thursday could prove to be a crucial day in the trial, as there is expected to be a decision made on the arguments to dismiss these charges, which carry the stiffest penalties.
As always, Queerty’s got you covered and we’ll keep you posted.
2eo
Every man, woman and child with a conscience is hoping Manning is found not guilty, he is guilty only of having morals and loving his country.
john77351
Manning should and is being tried as a traitor – If guilty March him out and execute his stupid ass – National security is at risk – Wake up and realize the countrys he exposed us to are the ones which will march YOU as LGBT out and shot you on a whim.
2eo
Unsurprisingly it’s a new account, belonging to none other than LawDoc that supports the US governments torture of a completely innocent man.
miagoodguy
Here’s hoping he rots in jail.
Polaro
I struggle with the sheer volume of information Manning dumped on Wiki. If he meant to make a point, a much smaller, more specific set of documents would have done that and limited unintended damage to the US. I do not see him as a hero. I see him as a rather inept pawn in a bigger game. Willing manipulated and now a fish out of water.
Polaro
PS. the fact that he is gay is irrelevant to the story. He just happens to be gay or trans or whatever the flavor of the day is.
JT Hawkins
@Polaro: I have to agree. A true “whistleblower” only exposes specific corruption. The fact that Manning made public so much extraneous information unrelated to his alleged whistleblowing makes him a disgruntled traitor.
2eo
@Polaro: “whatever the flavor of the day is.”
And that dear reader is why we laugh at and ridicule Polaro so much. JT Hawkins is just braindead however.
JT Hawkins
@2eo: And the troll continues his reign of terror. So you just can’t respectfully disagree?
Fawkes
@2eo: It’s incredible, the more and more posts I see from the nasty JT Hawkins, the more and more I am convinced that he is the troll formerly known as Caleb in SC. Perhaps I’m wrong about the identity switch, but it illustrates one of two things. Either the group-think between these statists is extraordinarily powerful (although to be fair, they spend their time primarily regurgitating Faux News and/or MSDNC talking points), or he realizes that his views are so repulsive and antithetical to the American founding that he is forced to change names repeatedly to make it seem like his side has more support than it really does. Either way, it’s pathetic.
JT Hawkins
@Fawkes: Nice personal attacks for no reason other than I express a differing point of view. I’m beginning to think that 2eo and Fawkes are the same trolling persona.
Fawkes
@JT Hawkins: It wasn’t a personal attack, I was just pointing out some facts. All you people sound EXACTLY alike, whether or not you are in fact the same person.
JT Hawkins
@Fawkes: And you a 2eo sound exactly alike in your attacks on anyone who dares to disagree with you. It must be a terrible burden to be so much smarter than everyone else. It is too bad that you do not bear this burden well and have to ridicule and demean people to make yourself more important than you actually are. Grow up and get a life.
Fawkes
@JT Hawkins: Oh my, and you had the audacity to call me a troll. This debate has nothing to do with who’s smart and who’s dumb. It is about understanding. You people do not understand the law, both the Constitution and the protections for whistleblowers on the books. It is impossible to debate with you people because you refuse to educate yourself on what the law is and the kinds of evil governments that have repeatedly manifested out of the sorts of policies that your kind advocates for. Intellect and knowledge are two very different things, and the fact that you’re conflating them to make yourself seem like some sort of attacked victim is pathetic. Don’t dare tell me to get a life when you’re on here flailing your tongue like some sort of Jezebel demon after one of your co-conspirators (john77531) openly fantasizes about murdering Bradley Mannng. There is only one way to deal with anti-liberty folks like you, and that is through scorn and ridicule.
JT Hawkins
@Fawkes: Don’t feed the troll.
Fawkes
@JT Hawkins: Don’t worry, I won’t. It looks like you’re already quite full.
JT Hawkins
@Fawkes: Don’t feed the troll.
Fawkes
@JT Hawkins: You forgot to switch accounts that time, sweetie.
JT Hawkins
@Fawkes: Don’t feed the troll.
Fawkes
@JT Hawkins: Oh dear, it appears to be botting.
Fawkes
@Fawkes: Anyway, on a serious note, you’ve actually proven my point rather effectively. Your kind is incapable of a serious debate, so you descend into this nonsense. Ho-hum.
JT Hawkins
@Fawkes: What you call serious debate is debasing another’s point of view. Don’t feed the troll.
Fawkes
@JT Hawkins: So predictable. Boring!
JT Hawkins
@Fawkes: As is your drivel. Don’t feed the troll.
Fawkes
@JT Hawkins: Normally at least you people say entertaining nonsense. This is just a snoozefest.
Fawkes
@JT Hawkins: Don’t feed the vole.
JT Hawkins
@Fawkes: Nec cibos troglodytam.
Fawkes
@JT Hawkins: Please, I took Latin in high school. Next!
Harley
Come on girls. Stop the cat fighting. I feel like I’m listening in on a bunch of drag queens. PULEEZE,