WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said the conviction of US soldier Bradley Manning was a dangerous precedent.
The comments from Assange came after the 25-year-old soldier was convicted for passing on battlefield documents to WikiLeaks.
Assange said that Manning's alleged disclosures have exposed war crimes, sparked revolutions and induced democratic reform, adding that he is the quintessential whistleblower, CBS News reports.
Manning has passed on a number of classified files to WikiLeaks.
According to CBS News, Assange said that this is the first ever espionage conviction against a whistleblower. It is a dangerous precedent and an example of national security extremism.
He added that it is a short sighted judgment that cannot be tolerated and must be reversed. It can never be that conveying true information to the public is espionage, the report said.
Manning was acquitted of aiding the enemy in a military court-martial on Tuesday, but was convicted of six espionage counts, five theft charges, a computer fraud charge and other military infractions, it added.
