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July 29, 2013

Global Protests Back Bradley Manning as Court-Martial Ends 
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Closing arguments have wrapped in the military trial of Army Private
Bradley Manning after nearly two months. The presiding judge, Colonel
Denise Lind, is now deliberating on 21 charges, including "aiding the
enemy." Manning faces up to life in prison for leaking more than 700,000
documents to Wiki Leaks and other news sources, the largest leak of
classified information in U.S. history. On Friday, Manning supporters
blocked the gates of Fort Mc Nair in Washington, D.C., home of the
convening authority in Manning's court-martial.

John Pepper: "I don't think he's claimed to be naive; I think he has
claimed to have done the right thing. I don't think the question is
whether he was naive; I think the question is whether or not he did the
right thing."

Rachel Atwood: "The very idea that he is being punished for coming out
against war crimes and such cruelty by his fellow servicemen is —
it's really disturbing."

Over the weekend, protesters in dozens of cities around the world also
held rallies to mark an international day of action calling for
Manning's release.

 

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