WikiLeaks trial: Bradley Manning to be sentenced at 10 a.m. EST
FT. MEADE, Md. – A military judge will tell Army Pfc. Bradley Manning at 10 a.m. EDT today how long he must serve in prison for illegally leaking a vast trove of classified U.S. military and diplomatic materials to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.
Army Col. Denise Lind will deliver the sentence. She found Manning guilty last month of six counts of violating the Espionage Act and mishandling classified material, but she acquitted him of a more serious charge of aiding the enemy.
Manning’s supporters, who consider him a hero for exposing government secrets, plan a vigil outside the gates of Ft. Meade, where the court-martial has taken place, and have announced an evening rally outside the White House.
Manning, 25, faces a maximum potential sentence of 90 years in prison, but in the final phase of the trial, prosecutors urged the judge to sentence him to 60 years behind bars.
Manning’s lawyers asked the judge to show leniency, suggesting a 25-year term, after he apologized to the court and said he hadn’t intended to hurt anyone.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-wikileaks-bradley-manning-sentencing-schedule-20130821,0,5596359.story