A U. S. rights groups has collected over 100,000 signatures urging the Norwegian Nobel committee to give this year's Peace Prize to Bradley Manning, the U.S. soldier convicted of espionage for passing secret documents on to Wikileaks.
The RootsAction group presented the petition to the committee in Oslo on August 12.
Norman Solomon, a co-founder of the group, said Manning helped shorten the Iraq war by leaking the documents.
He also said awarding Manning the prize would help repair the Nobel committee's reputation after it gave the prize to U.S. President Barack Obama in 2009, a few months into his first term in office.
A record 259 people, including Manning, have been nominated for the 2013 Peace Prize, to be announced October 11.
Manning faces up to 90 years in prison.
The RootsAction group presented the petition to the committee in Oslo on August 12.
Norman Solomon, a co-founder of the group, said Manning helped shorten the Iraq war by leaking the documents.
He also said awarding Manning the prize would help repair the Nobel committee's reputation after it gave the prize to U.S. President Barack Obama in 2009, a few months into his first term in office.
A record 259 people, including Manning, have been nominated for the 2013 Peace Prize, to be announced October 11.
Manning faces up to 90 years in prison.
