Bradley Manning Nominated for Nobel

Suspected WikiLeaker among 231 peace prize nominees
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 27, 2012 11:50 PM CST
Updated Feb 28, 2012 3:01 AM CST
Bradley Manning Nominated for Nobel
Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, second from left, sits with one of his military defense attorneys before Army Judge Denise Lind in a courthouse in Fort Meade, Md., last week.   (AP Photo/Sgt. Shawn P. Sales)

Suspected WikiLeaker Army Private Bradley Manning has been nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. He joins a list of 231 nominees—people like Russian human rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina. Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, and former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl are also believed to be on the list. The nomination of Manning, who has been charged with the largest leak of classified information in US history, is no indication of his chances of winning. Nominees "are from all over the world, very many well-known names, and some that are not so well-known to the public," the secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee tells AP.

Names on the list are generally kept secret, but those with nominating rights—including university professors and legislators—can choose to reveal their picks. The final decision is up to a five-member panel chosen by Norway's parliament. Critics have charged that the committee has drifted from its purpose by considering those whose efforts help protect the environment and promote human rights. A committee is investigating whether the peace committee is being true to its aim. Last year's prize was shared by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian women's rights campaigner Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen. (More WikiLeaks stories.)

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