The military judge presiding over the case against whistleblower Bradley Manning is expected to deliver her verdict later today. The sentencing phase will then commence and likely last several weeks. Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence, claiming that the leak of secret documents to WikiLeaks was 'aiding the enemy.'
Seventeen European parliamentarians, with constituencies in France, Germany, Ireland, Croatia, Portugal, Spain and Sweden have sent an open letter President Obama and US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel expressing "our concerns about the ongoing persecution of Bradley Manning," and asking that he "be freed as soon as humanly possible."
The letter concentrates on the charge of aiding the enemy, quoting Amnesty International's statement that it was "disturbing... he has said he reasonably believed he was exposing human rights and humanitarian law violations. Moreover, the prosecution provided no evidence that PFC Manning caused harm to US national security or to US and NATO troops."
Manning, however, was refused the right to use evidence of motivation in his defense.
"We agree with Amnesty International that the U.S. government should immediately drop the most serious charges against PFC Bradley Manning," say the MEPs, "and that to charge Bradley Manning with ‘aiding the enemy’ is ‘ludicrous’ – a ‘travesty of justice’ which ‘makes a mockery of the US military court system.'" To convict someone who leaks information to the media, would, they say, "set a terrible precedent."
Far from being a traitor, they suggest that Manning had the best interests of his country in mind. "Instead of ‘passing by on the other side’ like so many others, he acted in accordance with international law and with a strong commitment to truth, transparency and democracy. He wrote at the time that he hoped his actions would lead to 'worldwide discussion, debates, and reforms.'"
Manning, they say, has already spent three years in custody, including "ten months in solitary confinement, under conditions that the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez deemed 'cruel and abusive.'" The MEPs conclude, "Bradley Manning has already suffered too much, and he should be freed as soon as humanly possible."