By VOA
23 August, 2013
From VOA Learning English, this is In The News.
An American military judge this week sentenced Army Private Bradley Manning to 35 years in prison for espionage. Manning provided more than 700,000 classified files and other materials to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. Officials have described the case as the largest leak of restricted documents in American history.
The judge, Colonel Denise Lind, announced the sentence Wednesday at a military base in Maryland. She said the 25-year-old former intelligence specialist would be dishonorably discharged from the armed forces. He will be barred from future military service and lose rights to any pay he is owed.
The Oklahoma native has already spent three years in detention. He had faced as long as 90 years in prison for providing American secrets to WikiLeaks. Government lawyers called for a 60-year sentence. Under military rules, Manning could be considered for a conditional release from prison in less than nine years.
The sentencing followed a 12-week trial and a long legal battle over the release of hundreds of thousands of records. They included diplomatic messages and American battlefield reports from Iraq and Afghanistan. One video showed an American helicopter attack that killed two civilians.
Manning says he wanted to show the wrongfulness of war and American actions overseas. But government lawyers say he betrayed his country.
Morris Davis formerly served as the government's main lawyer in cases against accused terrorists at Guantanamo military base in Cuba. He says the Manning case required a strong sentence. He adds that the information given to WikiLeaks did more to damage the image of the United States than harm national security.
"There was no real value to al-Qaida or anyone else from these classified documents when they could go on Google and get the same information. It's hard to see where there's any real harm here other than just embarrassment to the United States government."
The judge cleared Manning of the more serious charge of aiding the enemy.
In court, Manning expressed regret for harming the country. The soldier and his lawyers said he had idealistic goals in releasing the information. They said he believed he could publicize the truth about American involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
His lawyer, David Coombs, compared Manning's actions to anyone who exposed wartime truths. He called the case a defining event in press freedom that threatens the flow of information to the public.
The case raised questions about why the Army put Manning in a sensitive position. The court heard evidence that he had emotional problems. A military doctor described him as having a gender identity disorder. Manning did not receive treatment while in Iraq.
On Thursday, Manning announced that he is female and wants to live as a woman named Chelsea.
Tommy Sears heads the Center for Military Readiness. The group has criticized the military's cancellation of a ban on homosexuals openly serving in the armed forces. He says the leaks might not have happened if Manning had been given help for his emotional issues.
And that's In The News from VOA Learning English. I'm Bob Doughty.
From VOA Learning English, this is In The News.
這里是美國之音慢速英語新聞報道。
An American military judge this week sentenced Army Private Bradley Manning to 35 years in prison for espionage. Manning provided more than 700,000 classified files and other materials to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. Officials have described the case as the largest leak of restricted documents in American history.
本周,美國一名軍事法官以間諜罪判處陸軍一等兵布拉德利·曼寧(Bradley Manning)35年徒刑。曼寧向反保密網(wǎng)站維基解密提供了超過70萬份機密文件和其它材料。有關(guān)官員稱這起案件是美國歷史上最大的機密文件泄露。
The judge, Colonel Denise Lind, announced the sentence Wednesday at a military base in Maryland. She said the 25-year-old former intelligence specialist would be dishonorably discharged from the armed forces. He will be barred from future military service and lose rights to any pay he is owed.
周三,作為法官的丹尼斯·林德上校在馬里蘭州的一個軍事基地宣布了這一判決。她表示,這位25歲的前情報專家將被不光彩地從部隊解雇。他未來將被禁止從事軍事服務(wù),并無權(quán)要求賠償。
The Oklahoma native has already spent three years in detention. He had faced as long as 90 years in prison for providing American secrets to WikiLeaks. Government lawyers called for a 60-year sentence. Under military rules, Manning could be considered for a conditional release from prison in less than nine years.
曼寧是俄克拉何馬人,他已被拘留了三年。因為向維基解密網(wǎng)站提供美國機密,他曾面臨最長達90年的徒刑。政府律師要求判處60年徒刑。根據(jù)軍事規(guī)章制度,曼寧能夠在不到9年就假釋出獄。
The sentencing followed a 12-week trial and a long legal battle over the release of hundreds of thousands of records. They included diplomatic messages and American battlefield reports from Iraq and Afghanistan. One video showed an American helicopter attack that killed two civilians.
這一量刑是在就幾十萬條記錄被泄密的長期法律大戰(zhàn)和為期十二周的審判之后。這些記錄包括外交電文,美國在伊拉克和阿富汗的戰(zhàn)場報告。其中一個視頻顯示,美國一架直升機攻擊造成兩名平民死亡。
Manning says he wanted to show the wrongfulness of war and American actions overseas. But government lawyers say he betrayed his country.
曼寧表示,他希望展示出戰(zhàn)爭和美國海外行動的不法性。但政府律師表示,他背叛了自己的國家。
Morris Davis formerly served as the government's main lawyer in cases against accused terrorists at Guantanamo military base in Cuba. He says the Manning case required a strong sentence. He adds that the information given to WikiLeaks did more to damage the image of the United States than harm national security.
莫里斯·戴維斯(Morris Davis)曾在針對古巴關(guān)塔那摩軍事基地被指控恐怖分子一案中擔任政府的主要辯護律師。他表示,曼寧案需要嚴判。他補充說,向維基解密提供的信息不僅危害了美國的國家安全,更傷害了美國的形象。
"There was no real value to al-Qaida or anyone else from these classified documents when they could go on Google and get the same information. It's hard to see where there's any real harm here other than just embarrassment to the United States government."
他說,“對基地組織或其它任何人來說,這些機密文件沒有實際價值。他們?nèi)ス雀杩梢垣@得相同的信息。很難說它對美國有什么實際傷害,除了讓美國政府難堪。”
The judge cleared Manning of the more serious charge of aiding the enemy.
法官澄清曼寧并未犯有更嚴重的通敵罪。
In court, Manning expressed regret for harming the country. The soldier and his lawyers said he had idealistic goals in releasing the information. They said he believed he could publicize the truth about American involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
在法庭上,曼寧對傷害國家表示遺憾。他和他的律師表示,他對泄露這些信息抱有理想化的目標,他認為自己能夠公布出有關(guān)美國在伊拉克和阿富汗戰(zhàn)爭中的真相。
His lawyer, David Coombs, compared Manning's actions to anyone who exposed wartime truths. He called the case a defining event in press freedom that threatens the flow of information to the public.
他的律師大衛(wèi)·庫姆斯(David Coombs)將曼寧的行為與任何披露戰(zhàn)時真相者相比并論。他稱這起案件是新聞自由的一個決定性事件,威脅了信息流向公眾。
The case raised questions about why the Army put Manning in a sensitive position. The court heard evidence that he had emotional problems. A military doctor described him as having a gender identity disorder. Manning did not receive treatment while in Iraq.
案件引發(fā)了對軍方為何將曼寧放在敏感位置的質(zhì)疑,法庭聽取了曼寧有情緒問題的證據(jù)。一位軍醫(yī)稱他有性別認同障礙。曼寧在伊拉克期間沒有接受治療。
On Thursday, Manning announced that he is female and wants to live as a woman named Chelsea.
上周四,曼寧宣布自己是女性,并希望作為名為切爾西的女性生活下去。
Tommy Sears heads the Center for Military Readiness. The group has criticized the military's cancellation of a ban on homosexuals openly serving in the armed forces. He says the leaks might not have happened if Manning had been given help for his emotional issues.
湯米·西爾斯(Tommy Sears)負責軍事準備中心。該組織批評軍方取消了禁令,允許同性戀在部隊公開服役。他說,如果曼寧在情緒問題上得到了幫助,泄密可能就不會發(fā)生。