Judge reduces Bradley Manning's possible sentence

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning steps out of a security vehicle as he is escorted into a courthouse in Fort Meade, Md., Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, for a pretrial hearing. / AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

Updated 4:36 PM ET

FORT MEADE, Md. A military judge on Tuesday reduced the potential sentence for an Army private accused of sending reams of classified documents to the WikiLeaks website.

Col. Denise Lind made the ruling during a pretrial hearing at Fort Meade for Pfc. Bradley Manning.

Lind found that Manning suffered illegal pretrial punishment during nine months in a Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va. She awarded a total of 112 days off any prison sentence Manning gets if he is convicted.

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Manning was confined to a windowless cell 23 hours a day, sometimes with no clothing. Brig officials say it was to keep him from hurting himself or others.

The judge said that Manning's confinement was "more rigorous than necessary." She added that the conditions "became excessive in relation to legitimate government interests."

Manning faces 22 charges, including aiding the enemy, which carries a maximum of life behind bars. His trial begins March 6.

The 25-year-old intelligence analyst sought to have the charges against him thrown out, arguing that the military held him in unduly punishing pretrial conditions after his 2010 arrest.

Jailers at the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va., have testified they considered Manning a suicide risk and that they were only trying to keep him from hurting himself and others by keeping him in a windowless, 6-by-8-foot cell for all but one hour a day.

Prosecutors conceded in December that Manning was improperly held on suicide watch for seven days and recommended he get seven days' credit at sentencing.

Manning is back at Fort Meade for a pretrial hearing that includes arguments on whether his motivation matters.

Prosecutors want the judge to bar the defense from producing evidence at Manning's trial regarding his motive for allegedly leaking hundreds of thousands of secret war logs and diplomatic cables. They say motive is irrelevant to whether he leaked intelligence, knowing it would be seen by al Qaeda

Manning allegedly told an online confidant-turned-informant that he leaked the material because "I want people to see the truth" and "information should be free."

Defense attorney David Coombs said Tuesday that barring such evidence would cripple the defense's ability to argue that Manning leaked only information that he believed couldn't hurt the United States or help a foreign nation.

Manning has offered to take responsibility for the leaks in a pending plea offer but he still could face trial on charges that include aiding the enemy.

The four-day hearing began Tuesday.

[RKMctrog007]

hey, I think he should get a year off early.......right after he searves a full life sentence.

[joesapper]

Future employee of journal news ?

[robert1129]

What really is offensive is that we annually publish a list of nations that violate human rights and we are not on it. I cannot excuse Manning but we have known for a very long time that we do torture or get others to torture for us. Examples include GITMO, Abu Grahib, the prisons in both Iraq and Afghan, the list goes on and on. And yes our enemies do also do the same thing but we deny that we do and they do not.

[TJphoto]

This Government cannot stand the light of day. Be afraid of such a Government.

[ttipbc]

Who gives a crap if he was mistreated? I don't. Is the death penalty still available for traitors?

[Stopfmg]

FREE BRADLEY MANNING!!!

[FormerUSMCSergeant]

Lind ... awarded a total of 112 days off any prison sentence Manning gets if he is convicted.
Manning faces 22 charges, including aiding the enemy, which carries a maximum of life behind bars.
---
How could you possibly deduct 112 days from a life sentence?

[Bush-cheney-R-Terrorists]

Releasing those documents has had nothing but a very positive effect on developments around the world. No harm can be shown to have come to the US as a result of releasing this information. Sunshine IS the best disinfectant.

[navysubman]

So Manning should have "just followed orders"? That was the defense the Nazis tried to use at Nuremberg. Following illegal orders makes you guilty as well as the one issuing the orders. In the US, so much is classified that does not need to be. It is only classified so that the public will not learn what corruption there is in the military.

[RKMctrog007]

so follow the legal means to do so.
becoming a traitor to your country isn't the right way to push this.

[NB62]

Just execute this traitor already.He sold out his country and disgraced his uniform.Id even be happy to be part of his firing squad if I was allowed to.

[RobertVBrand]

Probably with 30 shot clips.