WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning goes to trial
US soldier Bradley Manning is alleged to have given classified documents to Wikileaks, including over a quarter million diplomatic cables and a half million logs from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Manning is reported to have confessed his role in the leaks, which lead to his arrest over 1,000 days ago. He has been held since without a trial. Our coverage of Manning's wait and alleged crimes is collected here.
Why Bradley Manning pled guilty
Yesterday, the court-martial of Bradley Manning, the intelligence analyst accused of providing classified information to the WikiLeaks, took an important turn. As his defense had planned since at least last November, Manning offered a guilty plea for 10 charges; his plea, "by substitutions and exceptions," allowed him to accept responsibility for lesser offenses primarily related to unauthorized access to classified information and passing that information to unauthorized persons. (He also...
Bradley Manning pleads guilty to being Wikileaks source, denies 'aiding the enemy'
US Army Private First Class Bradley Manning has pleaded guilty on 10 counts involving disclosing information to an unauthorized person, but has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges, including "aiding the enemy." On Thursday afternoon, military judge Colonel Denise Lind accepted Manning's guilty pleas, while prosecutors said they plan to pursue the 12 contested charges at trial. The guilty pleas cover less serious offenses of misusing classified information and carry a combined maximum sentence of...
Pentagon releases trial documents as Bradley Manning prepares formal plea
As Private First Class Bradley Manning prepares to make a formal plea on charges that he provided classified information to WikiLeaks, the Department of Defense has released 84 pre-trial documents from between March 2012 and early 2013. Provided in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the files give outsiders a look inside a trial that has been conducted under a high degree of secrecy. The Washington Post reports that the DoD is still processing documents, and that more than 500...
Over 1,000 days without a trial: Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks, and the culture of secrecy
You could be forgiven if you’ve forgotten Bradley Manning.
Even before his arrest in May 2010, the 25-year-old Army intelligence analyst could go unnoticed. He was of slight stature, just over five feet tall, a self-proclaimed nerd who’d come to the Army, and then come to Iraq. While there, it is alleged, he downloaded a massive trove of information using his access to classified military databases. That information — including videos of two airstrikes that killed civilians; a...
No more secrets! Cypherpunks, WikiLeaks, and the new era of total surveillance
Just two years ago, Andy Greenberg had an hours-long interview with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The author and Forbes reporter listened as Assange claimed to have a massive trove of documents, the release of which, he promised, could “take down a bank or two.” When Greenberg reported the story, stock speculation led to Bank of America losing $3.5 billion in market value in just a few hours. But the promised documents never materialized. Instead, the real story was in a casual remark...
Policy & Law
Bradley Manning's accuser testifies in WikiLeaks trial
It's been over a year since Bradley Manning was arrested for allegedly leaking hundreds of thousands of US government documents to WikiLeaks. Now, on the fifth day of the hearing that will determine whether Manning faces court-martial, ex-hacker Adrian Lamo has testified about turning over the chat logs that led to Manning's arrest. Wired has a writeup of the testimony, including questions about whether Lamo was acting under a promise of journalistic or ministerial confidentiality and his...
