Leaked: Live Video From the Bradley Manning Trial

What's This?

By Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai2013-08-12 16:00:12 UTC

A new leak surfaced at the Bradley Manning trial — and not from the source of WikiLeaks' most famous releases.

The 16-second video (embedded below) shows the courtroom with Manning and the presiding judge, Col. Denise Lind.

See also: Julian Assange Launches WikiLeaks Party in Australia

The video was published by Australian blogger and activist Asher Wolf on Sunday.

Wolf claims she received the video from an anonymous sender who didn't provider any details about the recording, according to The Daily Telegraph . The video captured the footage shown on a TV screen, presumably in one of the overflow rooms where media and public attendees who don't fit in the courtroom can follow the court martial. (Wolf didn't respond to Mashable's request for comment.)

Courtroom security has been strict at the trial: no recording devices, no tweeting and, lately, armed military guards patrolling the media center searching reporters with metal detectors.

The goal was to discourage a repeat of the incident in March, when somebody leaked the audio recording of Manning's testimony — a goal that clearly failed.

Wolf's decision to publish the video, which is of little journalistic value, was criticized by reporters attending the trial who have withstood the strict rules from the beginning of the trial.

In a comment on Vimeo, Jeff Paterson of the Bradley Manning Support Network criticized the release of the video and distanced his organization from it.

"If this was produced by a supporter, then that person is misguided. Unlike the previously released audio recording of Bradley Manning reading his statement taking responsibility for releasing document to WikiLeaks, this video adds nothing to the debate," he wrote.

Wolf, on her part, defended her decision.

As the sentencing phase of the Manning trial continued on Monday, the judge decided not to impose any new restrictions on the press covering the court martial, despite the video leak. According to Kevin Gosztola, a blogger at FireDogLake, Wolf said that the "overwhelming majority of media and spectators have behaved with decorum befitting of courtroom and respect for court’s rules," and thus warranted no further restrictions.

The defense, led by David E. Coombs, begins its case on Monday. Manning is expected to take the stand for the first time since the pretrial hearings on Monday or Tuesday.

Image: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Topics: bradley manning, U.S., US & World, whistleblowing, WikiLeaks, World