Today at 10am ET,  Military Judge and Army colonel Denise Lind sentenced Bradley Manning to 35 years. He will be dishonorably discharged, will forfeit pay and benefits, and will be eligible for parole.

Manning, 25, was found not guilty of Aiding the Enemy on July 30 but  was also found guilty on violations of the Espionage Acs, and faced up to 90 years in prison leading up to today’s proceedings.

Manning gained significant notoriety, though polarizing, for being the whistleblower who leaked some 700,000 classified documents and cables to WikiLeaks. He’s been both touted as a hero for illuminating what many feel are government faults to the general worldwide public, or damned for being a traitor the United States having inadvertently assisted the militant terrorist organization al-Qaeda.

On the day of his verdict was read, Russia Today, an international new outlet live-blogging the trial, noted that “Demonstrators in 40 cities took part in the Bradley Manning ‘International Day of Action'” as a show of support and solidarity for the Private First Class.

 

Manning has not only apologized to the court for his actions — citing his desire to spend the rest of his life as a normal person with hopes of attending college and earning a degree — but will also receive “a credit of 1,293 days for the time he has been confined prior to the sentence, including 112 days of credit for abusive treatment he was subjected to at the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va,” according to the Washington Post.

Manning was arrested in Iraq on May 27, 2010 sparking an eight week trial at Fort Meade in Maryland just outside of Baltimore. Manning was found guilty of 19 counts, 4 of which were of a lesser charge and  included plea bargains.

Defense lawyer David Coombs is expected to fils applications after the sentencing in hopes of receiving something in the way of a pardon and clemency from President Obama.

Prosecutors are  pushing for a sentence of no more than 60 years.

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