Bradley Manning enters no plea at start of his court martial
By JILL REILLY,Daily Mail - Bradley Manning, the US Army private accused of leaking classified documents to Wikileaks has chosen not to enter a plea at the start of his court martial.
The 24-year-old also deferred a choice of whether to be tried by a military jury or judge alone.
He listened as 22 charges against him were read out at a hearing at Fort Meade, Maryland yesterday.
- Also deferred a choice of whether to be tried by a military jury or judge alone
- If found guilty of leaking and ‘aiding the enemy’ he could face a life term
If found guilty of leaking and ‘aiding the enemy’ he could face a life term.
Manning spoke only a half-dozen times, answering firmly and clearly, ‘Yes, your honor,’ and, ‘No, your honor’ when asked if he understood the proceedings or had any questions.
Military judge Col. Denise Lind presided over the 50-minute hearing at Fort Meade near Baltimore.
She didn’t set a trial date but scheduled another court session for March 15-16.
Defense attorney David Coombs proposed a trial date sometime in April.
He said the government’s proposed calendar could push the start of the trial to August 3, a date that Coombs said could jeopardize his client’s right to a speedy trial.
Manning has been in pretrial confinement since May 2010.
He faces 22 counts, including aiding the enemy which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and the others carry a combined maximum of more than 150 years.
The 24-year-old native of Oklahoma allegedly gave the anti-secrecy website more than 700,000 documents and video clips. Read more…
It breaks my heart that he has to endure all of this for giving the ugliness of war a face for millions of people. No lives were jeopardized by his whistle blowing, but so many have been ended by the act of war. All he did was make the message reach the human heart. I hope there will come a day when we thank Bradly Manning for changing the tides of peace.