Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, the soldier responsible for the largest leak of classified information in U.S. history, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for violations of the Espionage Act as well as other crimes, according to Reuters.
Manning was facing up to 90 years in prison after his conviction. During the trial he was found not guilty of aiding the enemy which would have made Manning eligible to receive life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Manning leaked over 700,000 documents, including video footage of battles in Iraq, to WikiLeaks, the website run by Julian Assange that has also been linked with the NSA surveillance leak by Edward Snowden. The most shocking material leaked by Manning was a video of a U.S. Apache helicopter shooting and killing about a dozen suspected insurgents including two journalists from Reuters, according to Reuters.
During the sentencing phase of the court-martial the defense painted Manning as a troubled individual struggling with gender identity issues. Manning's superior officer testified that Manning probably should have been disciplined and never sent to Iraq but was allowed to be deployed because his skills would be needed, according to the Associated Press.
The defense argued that Manning was idealistic and naïve; his sentencing should reflect that he never understood the full consequences of what he had done, according to USA Today.
"He had pure intentions at the time that he committed his offenses," defense attorney David Coombs said. "At that time, Pfc. Manning really, truly, genuinely believed that this information could make a difference."
For the three years since his arrest Manning was almost entirely silent in public until he made a statement during the sentencing phase apologizing for his actions.
"I'm sorry I hurt people. I'm sorry that I hurt the United States," Manning told the court. "I'm apologizing for the unintended consequences of my actions. I believed I was going to help people, not hurt people."
The prosecution was seeking a sentence of at least 60 years for Manning, according to USA Today.
"He betrayed the United States, and for that betrayal, he deserves to spend the majority of his remaining life in confinement," Capt. Joe Morrow said at the sentencing hearing.
The American Civil Liberties Union released a statement denouncing the length of Manning's sentence.
"When a soldier who shared information with the press and public is punished far more harshly than others who tortured prisoners and killed civilians, something is seriously wrong with our justice system," the statement said. "A legal system that doesn't distinguish between leaks to the press in the public interest and treason against the nation will not only produce unjust results, but will deprive the public of critical information that is necessary for democratic accountability."
