Rather, the abuse of Bradley Manning has left the world with a sense of disgust at how low the Obama administration has fallen

Following Tuesday’s espionage conviction of 25-year-old Army private Bradley Manning for passing on battlefield documents to WikiLeaks, the group’s founder, Julian Assange, said the conviction against a whistleblower was “dangerous precedent.”

“Bradley Manning’s alleged disclosures have exposed war crimes, sparked revolutions, and induced democratic reform,” said Assange in a statement. “He is the quintessential whistleblower.

“This is the first ever espionage conviction against a whistleblower. It is a dangerous precedent and 카지노사이트 an example of national security extremism. It is a short sighted judgment that can not be tolerated and must be reversed. It can never be that conveying true information to the public is ‘espionage.'”

Manning was acquitted of aiding the enemy in a military court-martialTuesday. But was convicted of six espionage counts, five theft charges, a computer fraud charge and other military infractions. Manning’s sentencing hearing is set to begin Wednesday.

Assange also spoke of the absence of a victim during the proceedings. “The prosecution did not present evidence that — or even claim that — a single person came to harm as a result of Bradley Manning’s disclosures,” he said. “The government never claimed Mr. Manning was working for a foreign power.