Published on Wednesday, August 21, 2013 by Common Dreams

– Common Dreams staff

manning_35years_0Developing…

Army whistleblower Pfc. Bradley Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Wednesday.

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) said that convicting Manning under the "archaic" Espionage Act sends "an unmistakable warning to potential whistleblowers and journalists willing to publish their information."

"Something is seriously wrong with our justice system," added Ben Wizner, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy & Technology Project, "when a soldier who shared information with the press and public is punished far more harshly than others who tortured prisoners and killed civilians."

Echoing this, the CCR continued: 

It is a travesty of justice that Manning, who helped bring to light the criminality of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, is being punished while the alleged perpetrators of the crimes he exposed are not even investigated.  Every aspect of this case sets a dangerous precedent for future prosecutions of whistleblowers – who play an essential role in democratic government by telling us the truth about government wrongdoing – and we fear for the future of our country in the wake of this case.

Defense lawywer David Coombs is expected to address media at 1:30 EST.

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