美国之音2013--曼宁泄密案迎来终审

（单词翻译）

Defense¹ Makes Its Case in Manning WikiLeaks Trial 曼宁泄密案迎来终审

曼宁泄密案的审判于当地时间7月25日进入最终环节,在米德堡进行最后的辩护并做结案陈词

In his closing arguments Friday, defense attorney David Coombs said Private First Class Bradley Manning is a whistleblower who acted in the U.S. national interest by exposing what he believed was wrongdoing by U.S. forces during the war in Iraq, where he was deployed². The materials he leaked included a video showing U.S. soldiers in Baghdad opening fire on a group of civilians⁴ that included journalists working for the Reuters news agency. After showing parts of that video in court, Coombs said the loss of civilian³ lives shocked and horrified⁵ the young soldier.

Manning is charged with 21 offenses⁶, but the most serious is aiding the enemy. That charge carries a possible sentence of up to life in prison.

In their closing arguments Thursday, prosecutors⁷ called Manning a traitor⁸ - who released more than 700,000 classified documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, knowing the material would be seen by the terrorist group al-Qaida. They portrayed⁹ Manning as an emotionally troubled individual who was confused about his gender¹⁰, had trouble relating to others, and was seeking fame and attention in releasing classified material.

It is not clear at this stage how Manning’s leaks - as massive as they were - affected¹¹ national security.  

Manning has already pleaded guilty to charges of leaking the documents - charges that could get him 20 years in prison. A military judge - Army Colonel Denise Lind - is hearing the case at Manning's request instead of a jury.