This article was published on March 3, 2011

Wikileaks source may face death penalty


Wikileaks source may face death penalty
Joel Falconer
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Joel Falconer

Joel Falconer is the Features Editor at TNW. He lives on the Gold Coast, Australia with his wife and three kids and can sometimes be found g Joel Falconer is the Features Editor at TNW. He lives on the Gold Coast, Australia with his wife and three kids and can sometimes be found gaming or consulting. Follow Joel on Twitter.

Private Bradley Manning, who allegedly leaked a substantial number of classified documents to Wikileaks, now potentially faces the death penalty, according to Manning’s counsel.

The army has slapped Manning with an additional 22 charges. “The most significant additional charge is Article 104,” said David E. Coombs, Manning’s defense attorney, on Twitter. That charge is aiding the enemy–a serious accusation that brings the death penalty to the table.

It is believed that the prosecution is unlikely to pursue the death penalty and will instead propose life imprisonment for Mr Manning–though the prosecution itself has not yet indicated whether it intends to push capital punishment. Even with the lesser sentence, it makes Julian Assange’s sexual assault charges look like a walk in the park.

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