Pfc. Bradley Manning’s Trial Comes To An End As The Government Alleges He ‘Aided The Enemy’

While the world has become fixated on the NSA’s domestic and foreign surveillance activities in the past months, the trial of Private First Class Bradley Manning is coming to a close. Concluding arguments were heard today. The government, as BoingBoing notes, is trying to convict Manning using the Espionage Act, and slap him with the charge of ‘aiding the enemy.’ Manning has plead guilty to “lesser” charges.

We in technology must pay attention to those willing to leak from the government, given that such information has played a key role in the shaping of public opinion regarding piracy and privacy among other issues. The Snowden effect is material, and critical.

Firedoglake has done a masterful job of not only reporting on the case, but also live-blogging as much as possible.

The government alleges that Manning leaked not out of a desire to spread knowledge of government and military misdeed, but instead out of a lust for fame. His pride, it was asserted, was proven because the government produced a picture of a smiling Manning. Hard evidence, certainly.

At the same time, as Nathan Fuller pointed out, “Govt repeating over & over #Manning was obsessed about his own fame, craved notoriety. At same time arguing further he kept identity hidden.” If you can untangle the logic behind that argument, you are a better person than I.

Regarding the Collateral Murder video that showed needless civilian deaths, the government, according to Firedoglake merely stated that the clip contained “actions and experiences of service members conducting a wartime mission.” The government put a price on the “worth” of the Afghanistan and Iraq Logs that Wikileaks released to the public at $1.3 million and $1.9 million, respectively.

The idea of prosecuting Manning for “aiding the enemy” is worrisome, as it is an around-the-side charge: Manning provided information to the enemy because he gave it to a journalistic organization that published it, allowing the “enemy” to read it; this would make all leakers and whistle blowers potentially legally damnable on the same charge. If we set that precedent, investigative journalism will take a body blow.

From a pure journalism perspective, current treatment of reporters inside the courtroom would be laughable if it weren’t so blatantly intimidatory. I quote, to preserve the original voice, Alexa O’Brien:

Journalists sending me emails telling me soldier stationed right behind me with a gun.  I tell you, OVER THE TOP JUDGE LIND #Manning

And, for taste, Kevin Gosztola:

Armed military police officer leans over my shoulder & informs me not to have browser windows open during court proceedings #Manning

So, we aren’t being fed what could be called a full dish of the proceedings, because armed folks are telling people to knock it the hell off. We can disagree all evening about the guilt of Mannning, and the efficacy of leaks to the national discourse, and their potential denigration of our national security, but at least we can agree that threatening the press with soldiers isn’t in the best of taste.

When the verdict is given, we’ll update this post and bring you the news. That is, if the government allows the press to report it.

via Pfc. Bradley Manning’s Trial Comes To An End As The Government Alleges He ‘Aided The Enemy’ | TechCrunch.

Bradley Manning – What the Papers are saying

Bradley Manning WikiLeaks Court-Martial Enters Third Week Huffington Post BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Prosecutors are moving quickly through the court-martial of Pfc.Bradley Manning. The former Army intelligence analyst is charged with aiding the enemy. He has acknowledged sending reams of government secrets to … See all stories on this topic »

Bradley Manning’s Trial, Day 7 (Live Updates) Firedoglake I think there’ll be a ruling from the judge on the admissibility of the 2009 WikiLeaks “Most Wanted” list. Numerous stipulations of testimony are expected in military court at Fort Meade during the seventh day of Pfc. Bradley Manning’s trial. The focus … See all stories on this topic »

WikiLeaks trial focuses Army email list KTAR.com … email addresses an Army private allegedly downloaded to a personal computer could be used by foreign adversaries to launch cyberattacks on service members, a government witness said Monday as the trial of Pfc. Bradley Manning entered its third week. See all stories on this topic »

Belfast anti-G8 protesters show support for Bradley Manning Belfast Telegraph Comments. Email; Print; Font Size. Protesters opposed to next week’s G8 meeting of world leaders have held up placards spelling out the name of US soldier Bradley Manning, suspected of passing classified information to website Wikileaks. Comments. See all stories on this topic »

Julian Assange Lawsuit Over Bradley Manning Secrecy Argued In Federal Court Huffington Post BALTIMORE — Lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange duked it out in federal court on Monday with the government over whether the press and public have enough access to records in the court-martial of Bradley Manning, the Army private first class … See all stories on this topic »

Dispute over documents in the case of Bradley Manning heads to federal court … Washington Post BALTIMORE — A dispute over public access to court records in the military trial of Pfc. Bradley Manning is moving from a military court to a civilian one. The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights initially petitioned an army court in 2012 … See all stories on this topic »

Manning list ‘could prompt attacks’ Belfast Telegraph … of troop names and email addresses a US army private allegedly downloaded to a personal computer could be used by foreign adversaries to launch cyber attacks on service members, a government witness said as the trial of Bradley Manning entered its … See all stories on this topic »

Public access fight over Manning docs in Md. court The Seattle Times Public access fight over Manning docs in Md. court. A government lawyer said Monday the U.S. Army has released the vast majority of court records in Pfc. Bradley Manning’s case and told a civilian judge the dispute over the records had become moot. See all stories on this topic »

Maryland: Manning Trial Looks at Address Disclosures New York Times Prosecutors laid the groundwork on Monday for trying to prove that Pfc. Bradley Manning gave WikiLeaks the e-mail addresses of more than 70,000 troops deployed in Iraq, a charge to which he has pleaded not guilty. As Private Manning’s trial at Fort … See all stories on this topic »

Manning’s WikiLeaks trial enters 3rd week Times of India FORT MEADE, Maryland: The trial of Bradley Manning now focuses on leaked documents related to the US prison at Guantanamo Bay. The former Army intelligence analyst is charged with aiding the enemy. He has acknowledged sending thousands of … See all stories on this topic »

Oliver Stone Calls Edward Snowden a Hero Hollywood Reporter Stone went on to praise the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, and whistle blower Bradley Manning. He condemned president Barack Obama’s administration for prosecuting six whistleblower cases despite campaign promises of a more progressive … See all stories on this topic »

WikiLeaks Founder Goes To Court For Access To Bradley Manning Trial Docs Bayoubuzz Physical access to hearings has not been at issue, but the military judge overseeing the case, Col. Denise Lind, has kept transcripts and crucial court motions locked away. The secrecy prompted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, along with other … See all stories on this topic »

David Brooks, Tom Friedman, Bill Keller Wish Snowden Had Just Followed Orders Huffington Post Manning was not working out as a soldier, and they discussed keeping him back when his unit was deployed to Iraq,” biographer Chase Madar writes in The Passion of Bradley Manning. “However, in the fall of 2009, the occupation was desperate for … See all stories on this topic »

Stand With Snowden! Free Bradley Manning! Close Guantánamo! Scoop.co.nz (press release) Activists supporting whistleblowers Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden, and calling for the closure of the U.S. prison at Guantánamo, will demonstrate at Senator Feinstein’s office in reply to Feinstein’s remarks accusing Edward Snowden of “treason … See all stories on this topic »

Public Access Fight Over Manning Docs in Maryland Court The Epoch Times This undated photo released Tuesday, June 4, 2013 by the U.S. Army shows a noose Pfc. Bradley Manning made from a bedsheet while he was being detained in Kuwait shortly after his arrest in May 2010. The photo was presented as evidence at a hearing … See all stories on this topic »

NOW PLAYING AT ART THEATRE: ‘We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks’ Long Beach Post History will forever link WikiLeaks and PFC Bradley Manning, and We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLinks will be one of the defining documents on this binary system, jointly responsible for history’s biggest leak of state secrets. And while writer … See all stories on this topic »

Legal Events to Watch This Week Wall Street Journal (blog) This week: The trials of James “Whitey” Bulger, George Zimmerman and Bradley Manningcontinue, and the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to deliver a blockbuster or two. Monday, June 17. • The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue orders and opinions. See all stories on this topic »

Medina Roshan, REUTERS Welland Tribune U.S. Army Private First Class Bradley Manning enters the courtroom for day four of his court martial at Fort Meade, Maryland in this June 10, 2013, file photo. 12, 2013. REUTERS/Gary Cameron/Files. Tweet · Bookmark and Share. Change text size for the … See all stories on this topic »

Manning’s WikiLeaks court-martial enters third week SCNow Posted: Monday, June 17, 2013 6:46 am. Manning’s WikiLeaks court-martial enters third week Associated Press |. FORT MEADE, Md. — Prosecutors are moving quickly through the court-martial of Pfc. Bradley Manning. The former Army intelligence analyst is … See all stories on this topic »

Why do people lie and why do others believe them? Newsroom Panama Meanwhile the names of Bradley Manning, Robert Snowden and Julian Assange are known around the world as whistle blowers extraordinaire , hailed by millions, hated by authorities. We are bombarded with lies every day from politicians, advertisers, … See all stories on this topic »

WikiLeaks breach included secret details on Guantanamo prisoners: official WHTC Data released by Private First Class Bradley Manning included biographical material on Guantanamo prisoners, details of their religious affiliation, and names of their relatives with extremist links, Rear Admiral David Woods, who ran the Guantanamo … See all stories on this topic »

Coalition bipartisan on treatment of Assange Manning River Times But she added that the trial of US Army private Bradley Manning might “cast further light on whether WikiLeaks breached any US laws in obtaining that information”. Mr Assange has lived at the Ecuadorian embassy in London for a year, having been granted … See all stories on this topic »

Oliver Stone Says Edward Snowden Is a Hero Hollywood Reporter Stone went on to praise WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Bradley Manning, and condemned President Barack Obama’s adminstration for prosecuting whistleblowers. SHANGHAI – Outspoken director Oliver Stone brought thunderous applause to of … See all stories on this topic »

AP PHOTOS: Chilean torture center becomes shelter NBC 29 News Manning’s WikiLeaks court-martial enters 3rd week · Manning’s WikiLeaks court-martial enters 3rd week. Prosecutors are moving quickly through the court-martial of Pfc. Bradley Manning.Full Story. Prosecutors are moving quickly through the court-martial … See all stories on this topic »

McCain presses Obama on secret emails WGCL Atlanta Prosecutors are moving quickly through the court-martial of Pfc. Bradley Manning.More >. A huge database of troop names and email addresses an Army private allegedly downloaded to a personal computer could be used by foreign adversaries to launch … See all stories on this topic »

Question motives of Snowden, writer Las Vegas Sun If public opinion is that Snowden’s actions deserve whistle-blower protection while Pfc. Bradley Manning is being tried for treason, then public opinion (as usual) is mistaken. It’s questionable that Manning and WikiLeaks jeopardized our national … See all stories on this topic »

Experts doubt intel-leaker Snowden qualifies as whistleblower under federal law The Republic Pfc. Bradley Manning is being court-martialed for giving sensitive diplomatic cables, videos and reports to the website WikiLeaks. The soldier’s case is stirring interest anew in Daniel Ellsberg. A former RAND Corp. military analyst, Ellsberg stood … See all stories on this topic »

Obama’s One-Way Mirror Truth-Out This problem of one-way transparency is exemplified by how the government is dealing with the most important criminal trial involving leaks of classified information since the Pentagon Papers: the court-martial of Bradley Manning. The government has … See all stories on this topic »

Whistle Blowers, Deep States, and Sunlight Asbarez Armenian News Daniel Ellsberg (The Pentagon Papaers), Sibel Edmonds (Turkish money in U.S. politics), Julian Assange/Bradley Manning (Wikileaks), and now Ed Snowden (NSA-phone-gate [that’s my invented term]). These are among the best known of the leakers who … See all stories on this topic »

On Second Thought Deseret News Ellsberg: We note the excused absence of Pfc. Bradley Manning. We’d also like to welcome our newest member, Edward Snowden! Snowden: Thank you. Julian Assange: Welcome, although I knew you’d be here. Snowden: How’s that? Assange: I took the … See all stories on this topic »