Bradley Manning Sentenced to 35 Years

Pfc. Bradley Manning, the Army intelligence analyst found guilty of espionage and other charges in leaking information to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, was sentenced Wednesday to 35 years behind bars, The New York Times reports.


Military judge Col. Denise Lind handed down the sentence at Fort Meade. Manning will be credited with 1,294 days in time served, his rank is reduced to private and he will be dishonorably discharged, according to The Baltimore Sun. Manning will be eligible for parole after one-third of his sentence has been served.
Lind only read the sentence, and had no statement at the sentencing, according to the Sun report.

The sentence is far less than the 60 years prosecutors asked for, ABC News reports. Manning could have been sentenced to 90 years. Manning's defense, however, said Manning struggled with gender identity disorder and a difficult childhood, ABC News reports. Politico reports the defense suggested no more than a 25-year sentence.

In January, Manning's possible sentence was reduced by 112 days due to harsh treatment he received in military detention, The Guardian reported at the time.

Manning admits sending hundreds of thousands of classified documents and State Department cables to WikiLeaks. The group worked with media organizations, including The New York Times, The Guardian and the German Der Spiegel, which published stories based on the leaked documents.

Manning has garnered considerable support among activists who say he played an important role in uncovering details about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Last week, Manning apologized for his actions in an unsworn statement during his sentencing hearing and said he understood he must face consequences.

"I'm sorry that my actions hurt people. I'm sorry that it hurt the United States," he said.

In the July verdict, Manning was acquitted of aiding the enemy, the most serious charge against him, which could have carried a life sentence.