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Today is a big day. Bradley Manning found NOT guilty of Aiding The Enemy. The only other problem is that he may face 19 other charges. But let's focus on the good for now.
On
Wednesday , Private First Class Bradley Manning was handed a verdict on charges he
faced in relation to leaking classified material – after 1,160 days of
pre-trial detention. His crime was to release military documents to WikiLeaks.
Contained within this material was footage of a US military
helicopter gunning down a father taking his children to school; evidence of a
death squad operating in Afghanistan, and files showing that rather than
containing just "the worst of the worst", Guantánamo held dementia
patients, taxi drivers and prisoners of the Taliban.
Millions worldwide regard Manning as a hero, but he was always
going to face prosecution for his actions. Not pursuing him would have been
politically untenable given the national security climate in the US. Military
leaders would have feared the repercussions of allowing a soldier to get away
with such a large-scale leak.
But the Obama administration didn't merely go through the
motions in pursuit of Manning. Military authorities imposed a charge that
should have sparked far greater alarm than it did. They argued that by talking
to the media, Manning had "aided the enemy" – a charge tantamount to
treason, which can carry the death penalty (though this was not pursued in Manning's
case).
This is not so much the
beginning of a slippery slope for a democratic nation as a headlong plummet. A
guilty verdict would have redefined the media – from outlets such as WikiLeaks to
bastions of the establishment like the New York Times – as proxies for the
enemy. It would have ended any distinction between a traitor selling military
secrets to the highest bidder and someone speaking to a journalist on a matter
of conscience and for no reward.
By finding Manning not guilty
on this dangerous charge (though guilty ofespionage and
theft), military judge colonel Denise Lind has pulled the US back from the
precipice – for now. But that outcome does not alter the fact that such a
charge was sought by prosecutors in the first place.
The Manning prosecution has
represented, in essence, a proxy war on watchdog journalism. Rather than
targeting reporters – for the moment – the administration has focused on
journalists' sources. Since Manning was indicted, other cases have been brought
against sources and whistleblowers, and the surveillance of journalists
from AP and Fox News has been uncovered.
Double standards are evident in the fact that semi-sanctioned
"leaks" from security sources, of material that shows the US military
in a good light, happen daily. In principle, such disclosures are crimes equal
in severity to those of Manning. Yet no one has been taken to court.
All of which is to say nothing of Manning's shameful pre-trial
treatment: held in a 6ft by 12ft cell, deprived of sleep, forced to stand
naked, and more. In recompense for these actions – which were found even by the
military court to be inappropriate – his detention was reduced by just 112
days.
The prosecution of Manning was
intended to send a signal. If nothing else, it has done that. It has shown that
when faced with evidence of its own wrongdoing, the current US administration
focuses on punishing the messenger. It shows the
first amendment is
easier to honour in the abstract than in reality. And it risks sending a
message to nations that routinely imprison, assault or even kill journalists
and activists, that when it comes to the crunch, the supposed leader of the
free world is not much different.
This trial has not been the proudest moment in America's
history. It should serve as a warning to those who care about its future. And
hopefully, it can also be a turning point.
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