Manning ‘competent’ to stand trial

Intelligence analyst suspected of passing government secrets to WikiLeaks has undergone a medical and mental evaluation The intelligence analyst suspected of illegally passing government secrets to the WikiLeaks website has been found competent to stand trial, the U.S. Army has said. Spokesman Gary Tallman says a panel of experts completed its medical and mental evaluation of Bradley Manning on April 22, and had informed Army officials of the conclusion. Tallman says no date has been set yet for the initial court hearing, and added that the evaluation board’s findings “have no bearing on the guilt, innocence, or any potential defences of the accused.” Manning’s case is under the jurisdiction of the Army’s Military District of Washington. The Army private is suspected of obtaining hundreds of thousands of classified and sensitive documents while serving in Iraq and providing them to the website. He faces about two dozen charges, including aiding the enemy, that can bring the death penalty or life in prison. Manning was transferred from a Marine Corps prison near Washington last week to a new facility in the Midwest state of Kansas. He passed the lengthy physical and psychiatric evaluation given to new inmates there and received final clearance Thursday to live alongside other inmates, according to the facility’s commander Lt. Col. Dawn Hilton. He had been held at the Marine prison for the eight months after his arrest, and the conditions of his incarceration triggered protests and international inquiries. At that prison, Manning had to surrender his clothes at night and was required to wear a military-issued, suicide-prevention smock. Manning’s attorney and supporters said that was unnecessary and argued his living conditions, including his isolation from other inmates, were inhumane. Pentagon officials consistently said he was being held under appropriate conditions given the seriousness of the charges against him. Bradley Manning US military WikiLeaks United States guardian.co.uk

Posted by on April 29, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.