Army Private Bradley Manning has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking more than 700,000 classified files and videos to WikiLeaks. The sentence is much longer than any punishment given to previous U.S. government officials who have leaked information to the media. Under current guidelines, Manning could be released on parole in about seven years. After the hearing, Manning defense attorney David Coombs read a statement from Manning asking President Obama for a pardon.

David Coombs: “I understand that my actions violated the law. I regret if my actions hurt anyone or harmed the United States. It was never my intent to hurt anyone. I only wanted to help people. When I chose to disclose classified information, I did so out of a love for my country and a sense of duty to others. If you deny my request for a pardon, I will serve my time knowing that sometimes you have to pay a heavy price to live in a free society.”

Manning will begin serving the sentence at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Speaking to reporters, defense attorney David Coombs described Manning’s initial reaction after the prison term was announced.

David Coombs: “Myself and others were in tears, because this means a lot to us. And so you get this guy, and he looks to me, and he says, ’It’s OK. It’s all right. Don’t worry about it. It’s all right. I know you did your best. It’s going to be OK. I’m going to be OK. I’m going to make — I’m going to get through this.’ So, I’m in a position where my client is cheering me up, and that shouldn’t happen. I should be, as the attorney, cheering him up, but he is a resilient young man. If nothing else, he is resilient.”