Bradley Manning-Julian Assange Update
Bradley Manning has stated to the US military that he may acknowledge responsibility for some disclosure of sensitive material, if he is charged with lesser offences. It isn’t a plea bargain which is common in the US Judicial system, it appears he may also accept to be tried by a military judge and not a jury.
Manning, a 24-year-old Army private first class, has been detained under military custody since May 26, 2010 but has yet to be tried. The US government says the soldier supplied Julian Assange’s Wikileaks site with hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables and other materials he is alleged to have had access to while deployed, and if convicted for as much he could be sentenced to life in prison. During pretrial motion hearings in Ft. Meade, Maryland early Wednesday, Manning’s legal counsel told the judge that their client has submitted a plea notice in the case that could greatly influence how next year’s scheduled court-martial plays out.
Jennifer Robinson a lawyer in Australia gives a clear insight into Assanges situation.
