Bradley Manning Trial Judge Raises Burden of Proof
Prosecutors attempting to have Army Private Bradley Manning convicted of violating the Espionage Act for releasing government files to WikiLeaks will have to show a burden of proof, ruled a military court judge on Wednesday.
Judge Col. Denise Lind ruled in a pretrial, court-martial hearing that military prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Manning had “reason to believe” the files could be used to harm the US or to aid a foreign country. Manning pleaded guilty to releasing videos of airstrikes in which civilians were killed, war logs from Iraq and Afghanistan, “as well as a mountain of diplomatic cables from around the world” to Wikileaks. He has pleaded not guilty, however, to the “most serious charge” that he knowingly “aided the enemy,” reports The Guardian. Manning claims he thought carefully about the data he released and whether it would cause harm to the US.
Chaninat and Leeds attorneys are Criminal Lawyers specializing in Thai criminal cases involving foreigners.
The prosecutors in the case are hoping to have Manning jailed for life, and arguing that they should only be required to prove that he willfully released the defense-related documents. Manning faces 20 years in prison for the 10 counts he has pleaded guilty to, but if convicted of violating the Espionage Act, he could face the lifetime sentence.
Manning’s trial is scheduled to begin in June.
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Flickr photo courtesy of Poster Boy NYC
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