After more than 1,000 days in prison, the voice of Pfc. Bradley Manning, the man responsible for leaking thousands of documents to WikiLeaks, has finally been heard.
In an audio file released by the Freedom of the Press Foundation, Manning discusses his military background, his interest in WikiLeaks, and how he was able to provide the organization with sensitive documents.
Manning was arrested in May 2010 on charges stemming from the alleged release of more than 700,000 classified military documents to WikiLeaks. He was charged with computer fraud, espionage, and aiding the enemy.
In the audio, which was taken from his pretrial hearing from late last month at Ft. Meade, Md, Manning also talks in detail about a 2007 video he provided to WikiLeaks “depicting the indiscriminate slaying of over a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad—including two Reuters news staff.” The video was released on April 5, 2010, and it’s been viewed more than 13 million times.
“At first I did not consider the video very special, as I have viewed countless other war porn-type videos depicting combat,” Manning says in the audio. “However, the recording of audio comments by the aerial weapons team crew and the second engagement in the video of an unarmed bongo truck troubled me.”
Emma Cape, campaign organizer for the Bradley Manning Support Network, is thrilled to hear Manning’s voice.
“It was very moving sitting in the courtroom, hearing Bradley explain in his own words why he was motivated to reveal government wrongdoing via WikiLeaks, and how his training allowed him to select documents that he did not believe would endanger U.S. National Security,” she told the Daily Dot.
“Given this is one of the most important trials in America right now, I’m glad others can now listen in firsthand.”
Illustration by DonkeyHotey/Flickr
