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Bradley Manning 101: What He Revealed
ResumeA military judge has acquitted the former intelligence analyst of aiding the enemy, but convicted him of espionage, theft and computer fraud charges.
Army private Bradley Manning had already pleaded guilty to 10 charges, including sending hundreds of thousands of battlefield reports from Iraq and Afghanistan, diplomatic cables sent by state department officials and video clips of battles.
He had refused to plead guilty to more serious allegations, including the charge that he "aided enemies of the U.S." which carries a life sentence.
So what is the material at the heart of this case? What did Bradley Manning reveal, and what are the prosecution and defense saying about it?
Harvard Law professor Yochai Benkler, who was a witness for the defense in the Manning trial, says the prosecution’s case has broad and dangerous implications for the freedom of the press in covering national security issues.
"The basic theory that the prosecution has been pushing is that if you leak national security information to the media, and if the media publishers are on the internet, and if al-Qaida reads the internet, then you have communicated indirectly with the enemy. That essentially means that any leak to any organization that publishes on the net, is aiding the enemy," Benkler told Here & Now.
- Yochai Benkler/New Republic: The Dangerous Logic of the Bradley Manning Case
- Related: How Founding Fathers Defined ‘Traitors’ And ‘Treason’
Guest
- Yochai Benkler, professor of law and co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University.
This segment aired on July 30, 2013.