22/08/2013 09:05
Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years in Wikileaks case
The US soldier convicted of handing a trove of secret government documents to anti-secrecy website Wikileaks has been sentenced to 35 years in prison, BBC reported.
Pte First Class Bradley Manning, 25, was convicted in July of 20 charges against him, including espionage.
In a statement read by his lawyer after the sentencing, Pte Manning said he had acted "out of love for our country."
His supporters have called on President Barack Obama to pardon the soldier or commute his sentence to time served.
Pte Manning will receive a credit against his sentence of about three and a half years, including time he has already served in jail and 112 days in recompense for the harsh conditions of his initial confinement.
His defence lawyer David Coombs said Pte Manning would first be eligible for parole in about seven years.