Court-martial trial for soldier in WikiLeaks case
Published:Friday | January 13, 2012 | 12:00 AM
WASHINGTON (AP):
A United States (US) Army officer recommended a general court martial yesterday for a low-ranking intelligence analyst charged with causing the biggest leak of classified information in US history.
Lieutenant Colonel Paul Almanza's recommendation to try Bradley Manning on all 22 counts, including aiding the enemy, now goes up the chain of command for a final determination by a general.
The military did not provide a timeline for those actions.
Manning, 24, allegedly gave more than 700,000 secret US documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks for publication. Prosecutors say WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange collaborated with Manning.
Troubled
Defence lawyers say Manning was clearly a troubled young soldier whom the Army should never have deployed to Iraq or given access to classified material while he was stationed there from late 2009 to mid-2010.
Manning could be imprisoned for life if convicted of aiding the enemy, the most serious charge. The charge carries a maximum penalty of death, but Almanza agreed with prosecutors, who recommended against seeking the death penalty. Ultimately, however, that decision lies with Linnington.