Army releases some documents on Bradley Manning case

In response to Freedom of Information Act requests, the military today released 84 court documents related to the case of Bradley Manning. As is routine, many of the documents are redacted.

The Army private is charged with being the source of classified documents published by WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy organization headed by Julian Assange.

The documents released today include court orders, and various rulings read aloud in court. The DoD says more documents will be released, pending review and redaction.

WikiLeaks and various journalists and pro-transparency advocates are suing for timely public access to all relevant Manning documents, in a case pending before the military's highest court. Manning has been held for more than a thousand days, already; if convicted of "aiding the enemy," a possible life sentence applies.

Sources told NBC News this week that Manning will attempt to plead guilty to some of the lesser charges at a military court martial hearing this Thursday.

Manning will also attempt to read a 35-page statement at the hearing at Fort Meade, Maryland, explaining his conduct. But prosecutors have objected to Manning reading the statement, leaving it up the judge in his case, Col. Denise Lind, to decide whether he will be allowed to do so. Manning's efforts to plead guilty to some of the minor charges against him -- such as misue of government computers -- is not part of a plea bargain, said Kevin Zeese, one of the organizers of the Bradley Manning Support Network.

(thanks, Aileen Graef)

• [Cowicide]

  How you can help, by donating here:

  http://www.bradleymanning.org/ourwork/staff

• [LogrusZed]

  A government that encourages children to snitch on their parents can’t handle it when they get snitched on. God damn it this story just keeps me so pissed.

  I’m sure everyone of every nation has issues with their own leaders, I’m sure that the U.S. isn’t even in the top 5 of worst shit-heels out there but fuck the government. From Obama on down the line fuck every single stinking one of their drone-flying wire-tapping two-faced asshole selves. It’s a sad, sad, reality that our president might be the best the current crop of motherfuckers has to offer.

  I’m not some naive child that believes we never need secrecy or an armed military; but when you’ve got pilots and soldiers on the ground killing people with cameras or children with sticks and rocks you own up to it. Manning isn’t in permanent lockdown for revealing some James-Bond deep-cover agent list. Fuck, even if that were the case why were no charges ever brought about due to the whole Plame debacle?