Three years after leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks Army Pfc. Bradley Manning was acquitted of giving intelligence to the enemy, the most serious of the charges brought against him, but found guilty on other charges, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The military judge in the case, Col. Denise Lind, found Manning guilty of five counts of theft, five counts of espionage, computer fraud and some other military infractions. If convicted of aiding an enemy Manning could have been sentenced to life in prison without parole. If given the maximum penalty for the crimes he was convicted of Manning could still face 128 years in prison, according to USA Today.
The amount of material that Manning gave to WikiLeaks was unprecedented. Manning leaked thousands of reports from the frontlines of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, dossiers on prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, video showing airstrikes that killed non-military personnel and hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables, according to the New York Times.
Much of the case focused on the charge for aiding the enemy because the verdict is thought to have ramifications for the future of journalism. People who have leaked classified information in the past have never been charged with aiding the enemy in the past. The reason given by the prosecution for doing so with Manning was that by posting the material online the whole world, including members of al Qaeda, would have access to it, according to the New York Times.
Elizabeth Goitein, a security specialist for New York University's Brennan Center for Justice, told Reuters that the Manning verdict will have long lasting effects.
"This is a historic verdict," Goitein said. "Manning is one of very few people ever charged under the Espionage Act prosecutions for leaks to the media...Despite the lack of any evidence that he intended any harm to the United States, Manning faces decades in prison. That's a very scary precedent."
During the trial the prosecution argued that Manning knew exactly what he was doing when he leaked the files to WikiLeaks.
"He was a traitor, a traitor who understood the value of compromised information in the hands of the enemy and took deliberate steps to ensure that they, along with the world, received it," Maj. Ashden Fein, the head prosecutor, said.
Michael Corgan, a professor of international relations at Boston University, told Reuters that the verdict could mean the end of WikiLeaks.
"That is going to make it more difficult for people who want to deal with Assange," Corgan said. "They are going to be at greater risk and that will put his operation at risk. It will have a very chilling effect on WikiLeaks."
The sentencing hearing for the 25-year-old Manning is scheduled to begin on Wednesday.
