FORT MEADE, Maryland — U.S. soldier Bradley Manning on Wednesday, Aug. 14, told a military court “I’m sorry” for giving war logs and diplomatic secrets to the WikiLeaks website three years ago, the biggest breach of classified data in the nation’s history.

“I am sorry that my actions hurt people. I’m sorry that they hurt the United States,” the 25-year-old U.S. Army Private First Class told the sentencing phase of his court-martial. “I am sorry for the unintended consequences of my actions … The last few years have been a learning experience.”

Manning.

Manning spoke quietly and non-defiantly in his first extensive public comments since February.

Manning faces up to 90 years in prison for providing more than 700,000 documents, battle videos and diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks, hurling the pro-transparency website and its founder, Julian Assange, into the world spotlight.

Defense lawyers, seeking a milder sentence, rested their case on Aug. 14 after Manning’s statement. About a dozen witnesses, including Army superiors, mental health professionals and Manning’s own sister, sought to show Judge Colonel Denise Lind that commanders ignored signs of mental stress.

An Army psychologist testified at the hearing at Fort Meade, Maryland, that Manning, who is gay, felt isolated, because he was wrestling with his gender identity. Another mental health specialist testified that Manning had hoped to end war.

The psychiatrist said Manning thought it “would lead to a greater good. Society as a whole would come to the conclusion that the war wasn’t worth it; that no war was worth it.”

“I understand I must pay a price for my decisions,” Manning continued in his first lengthy public statement since February. “I want to be a better person, to go to college, to get a degree and to have a meaningful relationship with my sister and her family.”

Manning was convicted of 20 charges, including espionage and theft, on July 30. He was found not guilty of the most serious count, aiding the enemy, which carried a life sentence.

A military spokesman said the judge would most likely sentence Manning next week at the earliest.