A military judge refused Thursday to dismiss the most serious charge against the Army private who gave reams of classified information to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. The charge of aiding the enemy faced by Pfc Bradley Manning is punishable by up to life in prison without parole. Col Denise Lind,the judge in Mannings court-martial,denied requests to drop that charge and a computer fraud charge,ruling that the government had presented some evidence to support each element of the charges. Lind is still considering defence motions to acquit Manning of five theft counts. To convict Manning,the government must prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt; however,they had to meet a less stringent standard in convincing Lind that the charges should stand. Manning has pleaded guilty to reduced versions of some charges. He faces up to 20 years in prison. The government charged Manning with aiding the enemy,claiming he knew the intelligence published online would be seen by al-Qaeda members.
