In a brief hearing at Fort Meade, Md., Col. Denise Lind, a military judge, didn’t offer any explanation for the sentence.

Manning will be dishonourably discharged from the U.S. military and forfeit some of his pay, she said.

The former intelligence analyst was found guilty last month of 20 crimes, including six violations of the Espionage Act, as part of the Obama administration’s unprecedented crackdown on media leaks.

But the judge acquitted him of the most serious charge, aiding the enemy, an offence that could have meant life in prison without parole

CBC News