US: Gay solider Bradley Manning not guilty of aiding the enemy
GayĀ US soliderĀ Bradley Manning, accused of leaking large numbers of secret documents to Wikileaks,Ā has been found not guilty of aiding the enemy – but he has been found guilty on five espionage counts.
His conviction on Tuesday means he could still face a lengthy prison sentence.
Manning has also been foundĀ guilty of five theft charges – in a combined total of 20 offences.
In May 2011, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell described Manning as a āgay heroā and a āhuman rights defenderā.
Manning had previously claimed that he was bullied for being gay during his time in the US ArmyĀ – and heĀ was reportedly disowned by his family after coming out.
In 2011, his father revealed he had ātwisted his armā to get him to join the army.
He said: āHe didnāt want to join. But he needed structure in his life, he was aimless. I knew in my own life that joining the navy was the only thing that gave me structure, and everythingās been fine since then.”
The Obama administration has said the leaks threatened valuable military and diplomatic sources.
Supporters, who considerĀ Manning a whistleblower who exposed war crimes and helped trigger the upheavals of the Arab Spring, held events to mark his 1,000th day of detention, earlier this year.
Manning will be sentenced on Wednesday.
