Manning tells court he is sorry for giving military secrets to WikiLeaks

US soldier Bradley Manning yesterday told a military court “I’m sorry” for giving war logs and diplomatic secrets to the WikiLeaks website three years ago, the biggest breach of classified data in the nation’s history.

“I am sorry that my actions hurt people. I’m sorry that they hurt the United States,” he told the sentencing phase of his court-martial. “I am sorry for the unintended consequences of my actions ... The last few years have been a learning experience.”

Manning spoke quietly and non-defiantly in his first extensive public comments since February. He faces up to 90 years in prison for providing more than 700,000 documents, battle videos and diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks, hurling the pro-transparency website and its founder, Julian Assange, into the world spotlight.

Defence lawyers seeking a milder sentence rested their case on Wednesday after Manning’s statement.

Earlier a military psychologist who treated US army private Bradley Manning said there was no support available for him to cope with his gender identity disorder and that he suffered greatly in a “hyper-masculine environment” that was hostile towards gay soldiers.

Capt Michael Worsley, a clinical psychologist, evaluated and treated Manning between December 2009 and May 2010, when Manning was stationed in Iraq. Capt Worsley told the sentencing hearing that Manning would have been put under considerable stress. “With little support, and few coping skills, the pressure would have been difficult, to say the least,” Capt Worsley said. “It would have been incredible.”

Manning had already been recommended for “ongoing psychotherapy” when he was referred to Capt Worsley.

From the beginning, Capt Worsley observed that Manning had “trust issues”, diagnosing him with an anxiety disorder. He met Manning about a dozen times, concluding that he was “supercritical of himself” and felt like he was “never good enough, or never able to do the right thing”.

Capt Worsley said Manning had a “personality issue” and had difficulties integrating with fellow soldiers. As the months progressed, he found Manning “isolated” and “guarded”.

“Obviously I was a therapist, but he was still guarded with me. It was one of those things where you go: who can this guy share with? Who does he have?”

Sentence next week
Manning, who worked an intelligence analyst at a remote base in the Iraqi desert when he downloaded the material, is facing a possible jail sentence of up to 90 years. He is expected to be sentenced next week.

Capt Worsley said he became more aware of the severity of problems faced by Manning when he was awoken at 1.30am on May 8th, hours after Manning was found curled up in a supply room, with a knife at his feet. That same day Manning had punched a female colleague. A few days earlier, Manning had sent Capt Worsley an email – apparently similar to one emailed to his master sergeant – with a photograph attached of him dressed as a woman.

Capt Worsley said he spoke to Manning for about two hours through the night, and discussed his gender confusion for the first time. Capt Worsley diagnosed him with gender identity disorder. “At that point he was sharing enough with me to suggest he met with the diagnosis,” he said. Capt Worsley, who has worked as a military doctor for five years, was critical of the army’s ability to deal with soldiers who had gender identity disorder or were gay.

“I think being in the military and having gender identity issues does not exactly go hand in hand,” he said. “I think it further serves to isolate, to create this issue with, kind of, defining who you are as a person.”

He added: “At that time, the military was not exactly friendly toward the gay community, or anybody that held a view as such. I don’t know that it is friendly now, either, but it seems to be getting toward that point.”

Asked by Manning’s counsel, David Coombs, what kind of support was available to Manning at that time, Capt Worsley replied: “Really, none. There as nothing available other than somebody like me.” He added that by confiding in a clinical psychologist, Manning was “taking a chance” and may have received a court martial and been “put out of the military”.

“So to share that information as an extremely difficult thing,” he said.

Manning was already being mistreated by fellow solders, even without revealing his identity disorder, in what Capt Worsley described as an “openly hostile environment”.

He said the impact of being open about his sexuality would have been profound.

“I can’t imagine,” he said. “It is hard for me to put myself in that place.” Asked by Mr Coombs if gender disorder would have made a soldier in the military at the time feel alone, Capt Worsley replied: “Absolutely.”

– (Guardian service/Reuters)