Salon.com > Whistelblower

Manning’s lawyer: My client was kept like “a zoo animal”

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 22:32:00 +0000

In the closing arguments Tuesday in a motion on Pfc. Bradley Manning's pretrial detention conditions, Manning's attorney said his client was kept like "a zoo animal."

"The conditions that Manning was under, they can only equate to death row detainees," said the soldier's attorney, David Coombs. "If the Quantico brig could have put him in a straitjacket in a padded room and not had anybody complain, they would have." Manning's defense is claiming that the accused whistle-blower was subjected to unlawful pre-trial punishment, and are calling for all charges against the soldier to be dismissed as a result.

Bradley Manning to testify at his pretrial hearing

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:56:00 +0000

Pfc. Bradley Manning will testify at his Fort Meade pretrial hearing Tuesday -- it will be the accused whistleblower's first public speaking appearance since 2010.

Manning is expected to speak about his treatment at the Marine Corps brig in Quantico as his attorney David Coombs aims to show that his detainment constituted illegal pretrial punishment, such that Manning's charges should be reduced or dismissed. Coombs has described his client's first months in the brig as "the functional equivalent of solitary confinement" — confined to a 6-by-8-foot cell, with no window or natural light, for more than 23 hours each day.

Via the Baltimore Sun:

Bradley Manning will take responsibility for Wikileaks leak

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 15:56:00 +0000

In exchange for the government pursuing lesser charges, the accused whistleblower has indicated that he will take responsibility for some alleged offenses, including providing information to Wikileaks. During his motion hearing Wednesday, Manning also told the court that he has chosen to have a trial by military judge, instead of a trial by jury, when his case is heard in February.

In a move known as “pleading by exceptions and substitutions,” Manning did not plead guilty Wednesday, rather his attorney put forward a plea notice indicating that the defendant will plead to some lesser included charges, but not the entirety of charges as they now stand. The motion hearing judge may choose to accept or reject the plea notice.

As Firedoglake's Kevin Gosztola reported from Fort Meade, "Pleading to lesser-included offenses makes it possible to not plea to committing offenses under the Espionage Act or Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). Importantly, he can plead guilty without accepting the government’s charge that he 'aided the enemy' or 'exceeded authorized access' on his computer." If his plea notice is accepted, Manning could thus avoid facing life in prison (prosecutors have already stated that they are not seeking the death penalty -- even though an "aiding the enemy" charge can legally carry such a sentence.)