After recieving a 35 year prison sentence for leaking classified military and U.S. government documents to WikiLeaks, Bradley Manning announced his plans Thursday to live as a woman named Chelsea.
Manning, who will be confined in the military prison at Ft. Leavenworth, released a statement to the NBC "Today" show stating, "As I transition into this new phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me. I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female," reports the LA Times.
The Army private was acquitted of the charge of aiding the enemy, a crime that warrants life in prision, in a military court-martial earlier this month. However, the former intelligence analyst was convicted on 20 of 22 charges, including six espionage counts, five theft charges and computer fraud.
About 3½ years or 1294 days will be subtracted from Manning's sentence, which includes the number of days he's already been detained, plus the 112-day credit he received for excessively harsh treatment while in a Marine brig in Quantico, Va. Manning must serve at least one-third of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
On Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union released a statement objecting to Manning's prison sentence.
"When a soldier who shared information with the press and public is punished far more harshly than others who tortured prisoners and killed civilians, something is seriously wrong with our justice system," said Ben Wizner, director of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy & Technology Project, according to CBS News.
Prior to the verdict, the 25-year-old Crescent, Okla. native admitted to sending 470,000 Iraq and Afghanistan battlefield reports, 250,000 State Department diplomatic cables and other materials to WikiLeaks while working in Army intelligence in Iraq in early 2010. The material was subsequently published on the WikiLeaks website as well as in news outlets like The New York Times and The Guardian.
Prosecutors had argued that Manning had a "general evil intent" because he knew the classified material would be seen by terrorists and could possibly help them. However, his attorney has tried to portray him as a whistleblower with good intentions.
Manning himself did not testify during the trial, but in a pre-trial hearing said he wanted to expose what he called the American military's "bloodlust" and disregard for human life in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as its dishonest diplomacy. He added that he carefully selected material that wouldn't put troops in harm's way.
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