Convicted WikiLeaks whistleblower Manning may do just 7 of 35 year term in prison

Bradley Manning, the American soldier convicted of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.

The military judge did not offer any explanation for the sentence.

According to stuff.co.nz, his defence attorney David Coombs said that with good behavior and credit for the more than three years he has been held, Manning could be out in about seven years.

Amnesty International and the Bradley Manning Support Network have also announced an online petition asking President Barack Obama to pardon Manning.

The White House said that if Manning wants to seek a presidential pardon, he must apply for clemency and his request will be considered in that process like any other application, the report added.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said there was a process for pardons.

Manning leaked more than 700,000 Iraq and Afghanistan battlefield reports and State Department diplomatic cables in 2010 while working as an intelligence analyst in Iraq.

He was convicted last month of 20 offences, including six Espionage Act violations, five theft counts and computer fraud.

Prosecutors were unable to prove that he aided the enemy, a crime punishable by life in prison, the report added.