Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, 25, pleaded guilty on Thursday to 10 of 22 charges related to providing classified material to WikiLeaks.
He said he leaked information concerning U.S. overseas operations, but he pleaded not guilty to the more serious charges of espionage, aiding the enemy, and several others, according the Los Angeles Times.
Col. Denise Lind, the judge presiding over Manning’s case, must still accept the guilty pleas, according to CBS. The pleas could carry a sentence of up to 20 years, reports CBS, and if he is found guilty of the charges he pleaded not guilty to, he could face life in prison.
Manning has been in military custody since 2010, when hacker Adrian Lamo identified him and he was accused of disclosing about 250,000 diplomatic cables and 500,000 intelligence reports available to him through his work as an analyst.
He has already been in prison for more than 1,000 days, and his supporters decry the length of time he spent imprisoned without trial, as well as his treatment in prison.
Judge Lind ruled in a pre-trial process that Manning’s motives are irrelevant and he would not be permitted to testify concerning them, according to Christian Science Monitor.
Nathan Bradley, a spokesperson for a network of the accused’s supporters, told Christian Science Monitor that pleading guilty will allow him to speak to Judge Lind in open court on Friday.
The spokesman said, “this is an opportunity for Manning to make the statement that WikiLeaks is a conduit to help the American people.”
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