...Has the prosecution received a secret order, maybe from the Commander-in-Chief, to win this one at any cost? If so, the cost seems to be the protections traditionally afforded defendants in America's military as well as civilian justice systems.
Reports by the Associated Press, Reuters and other news outlets have suggested that official inquiries into the impact of WikiLeaks concluded that the leaks caused some "pockets" of short-term damage around the world, but that generally its impact had been embarrassing rather than harmful.
Such a finding could prove invaluable to the defence in fighting some of the charges facing Manning or, should he be found guilty, reducing his sentence.
Yet Coombs says the army prosecutors have consistently kept him, and the court, in the dark, thwarting his legal rights to see the evidence.
"It was abundantly clear that Oncix had some form of inquiry into the harm from the leaks – but the government switched definitions around arbitrarily so as to avoid disclosing this discovery to the defence."
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It will be highly ironic if Manning is convicted, manages to appeal, and has the conviction overturned on due process grounds. But I suspect that, too, has been "taken care of". Ain't America great? [/snark]
This is a show trail, a kangaroo court, a complete and utter travesty of Justice. Welcome to the Gitmo future of America.
ReplyDeletekarmanot - agreed. The orders are coming down from somewhere, and the chances of a fair trial for Manning are between slim and none.
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