Bradley Manning's court hearing ended today almost a week after it began.
Prosecutors revealed an alleged al-Qaeda propaganda video that featured
militants describing how they used leaked documents to their advantage.
Manning, prosecutors said, "aided in the publication of those files,
knowing that our enemies would use those files." Defenders called him a
naive and emotionally troubled young man who didn't get the support he
needed from the military, the New York Times reports.
Manning's lawyers didn't suggest he was innocent of giving material to
WikiLeaks, but they said prosecutors were "over-charging" a young
private who hadn't threatened national security. Manning thought of
himself as a whistleblower who "thought he could make a difference,"
they said, adding that he was troubled by having to keep his
homosexuality a secret for years. On Jan. 16, the officer running the
hearing will decide whether to proceed with a court-martial, notes the Christian Science Monitor. A trial is likely on at least some of the charges, according to experts.
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