American army private is free after serving seven years of 35-year sentence for leaking classified documents and videos downloaded to WikiLeaks

Chelsea Manning, the army private who released a vast trove of US state secrets and was punished by the US military for months in penal conditions denounced by the UN as torture, has been released from a military prison in Kansas after serving seven years of a 35-year sentence.

Chelsea Manning (@xychelsea) First steps of freedom!! 😄https://t.co/kPPWV5epwa#ChelseaIsFree pic.twitter.com/0R5pXqA1VN

Manning walked out to freedom after 2,545 days in military captivity. She was arrested in May 2010 outside a US army base on the outskirts of Baghdad, having leaked hundreds of thousands of documents and videos downloaded from intelligence databases to WikiLeaks.

The US military confirmed that Manning was released on Wednesday morning.

Timeline: Chelsea Manning's long journey to freedom Read more

A couple of hours after her release, Manning said in a statement: “After another anxious four months of waiting, the day has finally arrived. I am looking forward to so much! Whatever is ahead of me, is far more important than the past. I’m figuring things out right now–which is exciting, awkward, fun, and all new for me.”



Manning’s disclosures included Collateral Murder, the footage of a US Apache helicopter attack in Baghdad in which two Reuters journalists and other civilians were killed.

Her seven-year ordeal has seen her held captive in Iraq, Kuwait and the US, always in male-only detention facilities. In that time, she has waged a relentless legal battle to be respected as a transgender woman, winning the right to receive hormone treatment but still being subjected to male-standard hair length and dress codes.

Barack Obama granted Manning clemency in his final days in office in January. In commuting to time served her 35-year sentence – the longest ever penalty dished out in the US to an official leaker – the outgoing commander in chief said that “justice had been served”.



Speaking from her prison cell as she prepared for release last week, Manning said: “I’m looking forward to breathing the warm spring air again.



“I want that indescribable feeling of connection with people and nature again, without razor wire or a visitation booth. I want to be able to hug my family and friends again. And swimming – I want to go swimming!”

What happens to Chelsea Manning now she has been released? What kind of life does she emerge into? Manning enters the civilian world as a celebrity transgender woman who is regarded as a hero on the left and within the LGBT community, but a traitor among conservatives and many in the military. Where will she live? She has indicated she wants to return to Maryland, where she was based before she entered the army. What is her military status? Her conviction remains in place, and as a result her active military status. Her lawyers are continuing to appeal her conviction and until that process is completed she will not be discharged from the army. How will she make ends meet? There are several fundraising efforts underway to help her transition to civilian life and cover her legal fees. She will be in demand as a commentator and speaker.

Obama’s decision to release the soldier early leaves her with legal challenges still hanging over her. Foremost of those is the fact that her sentence from 2013 under the Espionage Act remains in full force ­– a fact that her lawyers regard as ominous given the current incumbent of the White House.

As a result, even in freedom Manning will continue to press vigorously for her sentence to be overturned. Her appeal, filed almost exactly a year ago in the US army court of criminal appeals, argued that her 35-year sentence was “perhaps the most unjust sentence in the history of the military justice system”.

Manning’s appeal lawyer, Nancy Hollander, told the Guardian: “People keep assuming that just because someone is released their appeal is over. The rest of her case is still out there and we want to clear her name. She was convicted of crimes that I don’t believe she committed and her whole prosecution was unfair.”

A fundraising drive drive to help Manning raise the legal fees needed to keep going with the appeal has been launched by Courage Foundation together with the German branch of Reporters Without Borders and the Wau Holland Foundation.

Manning’s mother, Susan Manning, who is Welsh, told the Press Association that she was rejoicing at news of the release. “I am so proud of Chelsea and delighted she will finally be free again.”

Manning moved to Haverfordwest in Wales in 2001 when she was 14 to live with her mother, but returned to the US where she was born and brought up after school ended.

Chelsea Manning prepares for life after prison: 'I can see a future for myself' Read more

Susan Manning said: “It is going to be very hard for her to readjust after so long inside the prison’s four walls and I’m happy she will be staying in Maryland where she has family to look out for her. Chelsea is so intelligent and talented, I hope she now has the chance to go to college to complete her studies, and to do and be whatever she wants. My message to Chelsea? Two words: ‘Go, girl!’”

Though Manning’s release was greeted with a chorus of rejoicing on social media, one voice struck a more somber tone. David Coombs, the soldier’s trial lawyer, put out a statement in which he said that the 35-year sentence handed down to the Army private amounted to a “grievous wrong”.

“The day that Manning is released from prison should be a day of unadulterated joy for me,” Coombs wrote. “But it’s not. It is a day that I am reflecting on how the military justice system could veer so far off course.”

The lawyer added that “the particular constellation of players involved in this case, the desire to make an example out of Manning, and the ‘win at all costs’ mentality of the prosecution created a powder keg where the ability to achieve a just result was impossible. So I don’t see Manning’s commutation as a victory. I see it as an unfortunate failure of military justice to do its job.”</s>The White House said President Donald Trump “has never asked” former FBI boss James Comey to end a federal investigation into Michael Flynn, disputing a New York Times report that cited a memo Comey wrote documenting the request. “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” Trump told Comey during a February meeting at the White House, according to the memo. A White House official told TIME that was “not a truthful or accurate portrayal of the conversation” between Trump and Comey.

Chelsea Manning, a transgender Army soldier, was released from prison this morning after serving seven years behind bars for leaking hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. documents to WikiLeaks. Former President Barack Obama commuted her sentence four months ago. Here’s what to know about her case.

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The Morning Brief is published Mondays through Fridays. Email Morning Brief writer Melissa Chan at melissa.chan@time.com .</s>Pfc. Chelsea Manning poses for a photo wearing a wig and lipstick. Manning is scheduled for release from prison Wednesday, May 17, 2017.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Pvt. Chelsea Manning, the transgender soldier convicted of giving classified government materials to WikiLeaks, was released from a Kansas military prison early Wednesday after serving seven years of her 35-year sentence.

U.S. Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith told The Associated Press that Manning was released from Fort Leavenworth military prison, but that she couldn't provide any further details. Manning tweeted after she was granted clemency that she planned to move to Maryland. The Crescent, Oklahoma, native has an aunt who lives there.

Manning, who was known as Bradley Manning before transitioning in prison, was convicted in 2013 of 20 counts, including six Espionage Act violations, theft and computer fraud. She was acquitted of the most serious charge of aiding the enemy. President Barack Obama granted Manning clemency in his final days in office in January.

Manning, a former intelligence analyst in Iraq, has acknowledged leaking the materials, which included battlefield video. She said she wanted to expose what she considered to be the U.S. military's disregard of the effects of war on civilians and that she released information that she didn't believe would harm the U.S.

Critics said the leaks laid bare some of the nation's most-sensitive secrets and endangered information sources, prompting the State Department to help some of those people move to protect their safety. Several ambassadors were recalled, expelled or reassigned because of embarrassing disclosures.

Manning, who was arrested in 2010, filed a transgender rights lawsuit in prison and attempted suicide twice last year, according to her lawyers.

Obama's decision to commute Manning's sentence to about seven years, including the time she spent locked up before being convicted, drew strong criticism from members of Congress and others, with Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan calling the move "just outrageous."

In a statement last week — her first public comments since Obama intervened — Manning thanked that former president and said that letters of support from veterans and fellow transgender people inspired her "to work toward making life better for others."

"For the first time, I can see a future for myself as Chelsea," she said. "I can imagine surviving and living as the person who I am and can finally be in the outside world. Freedom used to be something that I dreamed of but never allowed myself to fully imagine."

Her attorneys have said Manning was subjected to violence in prison and argued the military mistreated her by requiring her to serve her sentence in an all-male prison, restricting her physical and mental health care and not allowing her to keep a feminine haircut.

The Department of Defense has repeatedly declined to discuss Manning's treatment in prison.

The Army said Tuesday that Manning would remain on active duty in a special, unpaid status that will legally entitle her to military medical care, along with commissary privileges. An Army spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Jennifer Johnson, said Manning will be on "excess leave" while her court-martial conviction is under appellate review.

Associated Press reporter Lolita Baldor in Washington, D.C. contributed to this report.</s>Fort Leavenworth, Kansas – After seven years behind bars, Army leaker Chelsea Manning walked out of a military prison early Wednesday morning.

In January, then-President Barack Obama commuted Manning’s 35-year sentence for leaking troves of military intelligence records to the website Wikileaks.

Chelsea Manning was released from Fort Leavenworth in the dead of night with no fanfare according to a U.S. Army official.

Manning served just seven years of a 35-year sentence for releasing a trove of classified information to Wikileaks.

Former President Obama, as one of his final and more controversial acts in office, commuted the remainder of Manning’s sentence, saying he believed 35-years was disproportionate to what other leakers have received and that justice had been served.

Manning came out as a transgender woman shortly after her conviction and has had a rough time in prison according to her attorneys, attempting suicide twice.

Manning’s legal team is not releasing any information about her immediate future plans, only saying she will continue to appeal her conviction.

While that appeal goes forward Manning will remain a member of the U.S. Military, eligible for benefits but not pay.

$140,000 has been raised on-line to help Manning re-acclimate and start a new life.

Leave a Comment:

 Note: By commenting below you agree to abide by the KOBI5.com commenting guidelines. View the KOBI5.com Comment Board Guidelines »</s>"Chelsea is still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice," her military defense lawyer, David Coombs, told NBC News. "She wouldn't be charged again for the same offenses, but if she committed a new crime, the military would still have jurisdiction over her."

Manning, 29, was originally sentenced to 35 years but had her sentence commuted by then-president Barack Obama in January 2016. She will remain as an active-duty soldier in the Army but will not receive pay.

Chelsea Manning, a private first class soldier in the US Army who leaked more than 700,000 military intelligence reports and documents to WikiLeaks in 2010, was released from military prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on Wednesday. An Army spokesperson at Fort Leavenworth confirmed to BuzzFeed News that Manning was released at 2 a.m. CT. They provided no further details.

In 2010, when she went by the name Bradley Manning, the soldier downloaded hundreds of thousands of documents relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and then smuggled them out of her intelligence unit. It was reported that one of the CDs she was disguised as a music disc labeled “Lady Gaga.”

The leaked files contained files such as diplomatic cables, videos, and PowerPoint presentations. Manning was subsequently court-martialed and sentenced in 2013 with the opportunity for parole after seven years.

Soon after she was imprisoned, Manning came out as transgender and changed her name to Chelsea. In a statement read by her attorney on the Today show in August 2013, Manning said, “As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me. I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female. Given the way that I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible.” She eventually received hormone treatment while in prison.

Manning attempted suicide twice in 2016, according to her attorneys, citing her prison conditions. Her second suicide attempt came after Manning was sent to solitary confinement as punishment for her first suicide attempt, her lawyers said at the time. “She has repeatedly been punished for trying to survive and now is being repeatedly punished for trying to die," Chase Strangio, her attorney, wrote in an email to the Associated Press.

Manning also went on a hunger strike in September 2016 for several days for what she and her lawyers said was a lack of treatment for gender dysphoria.

Manning‘s commutation received a host of criticism from some in the government — including now-President Trump. In the days before his inauguration, Trump tweeted that Manning was a “Ungrateful TRAITOR” who “should never have been released from prison.”

Over the years, Manning, who has a Twitter account run by her supporters, has been vocal about her own imprisonment, gender transition, and current events.

On Monday Manning tweeted, “Two more days until the freedom of civilian life ^_^ Now hunting for private #healthcare like millions of Americans =P.”

A statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Manning last week read, “For the first time, I can see a future for myself as Chelsea,” with Manning adding that “I can imagine surviving and living as the person who I am and can finally be in the outside world.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates and follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter.</s>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on the release of Pvt. Chelsea Manning from a Kansas military prison (all times local):

Media reports say Pvt. Chelsea Manning has been released from a Kansas military prison after serving seven years of her 35-year sentence for leaking classified government materials to WikiLeaks.

NBC News, citing an unnamed U.S Army official, says Manning was released from Fort Leavenworth military prison Wednesday at around 2 a.m. Central Time. The BBC also cites an unnamed Army representative in reporting she has left the facility. The Associated Press has not confirmed these reports.

Former President Barack Obama granted Manning clemency during his final days in office.

Manning, an Oklahoma native, was convicted in 2013 of 20 counts, including six Espionage Act violations, theft and computer fraud.

Previously known as Bradley Manning, the former intelligence analyst in Iraq said she wanted to expose what she considered to be the U.S. military’s disregard of the effects of war on civilians.

Pvt. Chelsea Manning is due to be released from a Kansas military prison after serving seven years of her 35-year sentence for leaking classified government materials to WikiLeaks.

The transgender soldier is scheduled to be freed from Fort Leavenworth on Wednesday in accordance with former President Barack Obama’s decision to grant her clemency in his final days in office.

The Oklahoma native’s attorneys and the Army have refused to say precisely when and how she will be released, citing potential safety concerns.

The former intelligence analyst in Iraq acknowledged leaking the materials, saying she wanted to expose what she considered to be the U.S. military’s disregard of the effects of war on civilians.

She was known as Bradley Manning before transitioning in prison.</s>Chelsea Manning, the former Army intelligence analyst behind one of the largest classified information leaks in US history, was released from military prison early Wednesday morning, an Army spokeswoman said.

She was released from United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas around 3 a.m. ET, Lt. Col. Jennifer Johnson told CNN.

Amnesty International, which had campaigned for Manning’s release, was quick to applaud the decision.

“While we celebrate her freedom, we will continue to call for an independent investigation into the potential human rights violations she exposed, and for protections to be put in place to ensure whistleblowers like Chelsea are never again subjected to such appalling treatment,” a statement said.

Manning was convicted in 2013 of stealing 750,000 pages of documents and videos before leaking them to WikiLeaks.

Manning — known then as Bradley Manning — was sentenced to 35 years in prison on 20 counts, including violations of the Espionage Act.

After the 2013 sentencing, the ex-intelligence agent changed her name to Chelsea Manning and became a transgender woman.

During one of his final acts in office, President Barack Obama commuted Manning’s sentence in January, thereby giving her an early release date.

Last week, Manning tweeted her excitement about her impending release: “Freedom was only a dream, and hard to imagine. Now it’s here! You kept me alive <3”

Manning had to serve her sentence in an all-male military prison despite a request to transfer to a civilian prison.

“For the first time, I can see a future for myself as Chelsea. I can imagine surviving and living as the person who I am and can finally be in the outside world,” she said in a written statement.

“I hope to take the lessons that I have learned, the love that I have been given, and the hope that I have to work toward making life better for others.”

Manning remains on active duty status pending the conclusion of her appeals. As such, she may be entitled to military benefits, including health care.

Manning was one of the first service members to access transgender health care benefits under new policy and the first to be approved for gender reassignment surgery in military prison.

“PVT Manning is statutorily entitled to medical care while on excess leave in an active duty status, pending final appellate review,” the Army said in a statement Wednesday.

“In an active duty status, although in an unpaid status, Manning is eligible for direct care at medical treatment facilities, commissary privileges, Morale Welfare and Recreation privileges, and Exchange privileges.”

Obama’s decision to commute Manning’s sentence set off harsh criticism from some Republicans and intelligence officials. But Obama said she had served a “tough sentence.”

“Chelsea has already served the longest sentence of any whistleblower in the history of this country. It has been far too long, too severe, too draconian,” Hollander and Ward said in a joint statement.

“President Obama’s act of commutation was the first time the military took care of this soldier who risked so much to disclose information that served the public interest.”</s>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Pvt. Chelsea Manning, the transgender soldier convicted of giving classified government materials to WikiLeaks, was released from a Kansas military prison early Wednesday after serving seven years of her 35-year sentence, according to media reports.

President Barack Obama granted Manning clemency in his final days in office in January. NBC News, citing an unnamed U.S. Army official, reported that Manning was released from Fort Leavenworth military prison at around 2 a.m. Central Time. The BBC, also citing an unnamed Army representative, reported that she had left the facility.

The Associated Press has not confirmed these reports and it is not clear where she was headed.

Manning, who was known as Bradley Manning before transitioning in prison, was convicted in 2013 of 20 counts, including six Espionage Act violations, theft and computer fraud. She was acquitted of the most serious charge of aiding the enemy.

The Crescent, Oklahoma, native tweeted after being granted clemency that she plans to move to Maryland. Neither she nor her attorneys explained why, but she has an aunt who lives there.

Manning, a former intelligence analyst in Iraq, has acknowledged leaking the materials, which included battlefield video. She said she wanted to expose what she considered to be the U.S. military’s disregard of the effects of war on civilians and that she released information that she didn’t believe would harm the U.S.

Critics said the leaks laid bare some of the nation’s most-sensitive secrets and endangered information sources, prompting the State Department to help some of those people move to protect their safety. Several ambassadors were recalled, expelled or reassigned because of embarrassing disclosures.

Manning, who was arrested in 2010, filed a transgender rights lawsuit in prison and attempted suicide twice last year, according to her lawyers.

Obama’s decision to commute Manning’s sentence to about seven years, including the time she spent locked up before being convicted, drew strong criticism from members of Congress and others, with Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan calling the move “just outrageous.”

In a statement last week — her first public comments since Obama intervened — Manning thanked that former president and said that letters of support from veterans and fellow transgender people inspired her “to work toward making life better for others.”

“For the first time, I can see a future for myself as Chelsea,” she said. “I can imagine surviving and living as the person who I am and can finally be in the outside world. Freedom used to be something that I dreamed of but never allowed myself to fully imagine.”

Her attorneys have said Manning was subjected to violence in prison and argued the military mistreated her by requiring her to serve her sentence in an all-male prison, restricting her physical and mental health care and not allowing her to keep a feminine haircut.

The Department of Defense has repeatedly declined to discuss Manning’s treatment in prison.

The Army said Tuesday that Manning would remain on active duty in a special, unpaid status that will legally entitle her to military medical care, along with commissary privileges. An Army spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Jennifer Johnson, said Manning will be on “excess leave” while her court-martial conviction is under appellate review.

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Manning's 35-year sentence for leaking an enormous trove of military intelligence records was commuted by President Barack Obama in January.

At the time, the White House said Manning had accepted responsibility, expressed remorse and served time.

A U.S Army official confirmed to NBC News that she was released from Fort Leavenworth military prison at around 3 a.m. ET.

Pfc. Manning, 29, will remain an active-duty soldier in the U.S. Army, but she won't be paid a salary and it's highly unlikely that she will be called to serve. However, her "excess leave" status will legally entitle her to military medical care, along with commissary privileges.

The Crescent, Oklahoma, native tweeted after being granted clemency that she plans to move to Maryland. Neither she nor her attorneys explained why, but she has an aunt who lives there.

Manning, a former intelligence analyst in Iraq, is still appealing her conviction in a case that could take years. The government has yet to respond to the appeal.

Then known as Bradley Manning, she leaked nearly 750,000 military files and cables to WikiLeaks aged 22. The materials included battlefield video.

Manning said she wanted to expose what she considered to be the U.S. military's disregard of the effects of war on civilians and that she released information that she didn't believe would harm the U.S. No document was classified higher than secret and her defenders say no one was endangered by the leaks.

Critics said the leaks laid bare some of the nation's most-sensitive secrets and endangered information sources, prompting the State Department to help some of those people move to protect their safety. Several ambassadors were recalled, expelled or reassigned because of embarrassing disclosures.

Manning was court-martialed and sentenced in 2013 to 35 years in prison.

In a statement given to NBC's TODAY the day after sentencing, Manning came out as a transgender woman.

Manning said in a statement released by her attorneys last week that she was looking forward to being released from Fort Leavenworth.

"For the first time, I can see a future for myself as Chelsea," she said. "I can imagine surviving and living as the person who I am and can finally be in the outside world. Freedom used to be something that I dreamed of but never allowed myself to fully imagine."

Manning's ACLU attorney and transgender advocate, Chase Strangio, told NBC News that the current focus is on "building her life" once she steps out of prison.

"She is looking forward to eating pizza, swimming, playing PlayStation and meeting the many friends who have supported her over the years but who were never allowed to visit in person," Strangio said. "Beyond that, she is waiting to experience life outside of prison before declaring any future plans. After so many years of government control over her body and gender, I know she is eager to grow her hair, express her gender and negotiate decisions on her own terms."

Manning attempted suicide twice last year — once in July, another in November — while imprisoned in Kansas. She also began a hunger strike last September over what she says was the lack of treatment she was receiving for her gender dysphoria.

The Department of Defense has repeatedly declined to discuss Manning's treatment in prison.

An online fundraising effort has raised a little more than $143,000 as of late Tuesday to help Manning pay for rent, utilities and other living expenses in the first year of her release.

However, not everyone thinks Manning deserved to be freed.

President Donald Trump, days before being inaugurated, wrote on Twitter that Manning is "TRAITOR ... who should never have been released from prison."

House Speaker Paul Ryan said at the time that Obama's decision was "outrageous."

He added: "Chelsea Manning's treachery put American lives at risk and exposed some of our nation's most sensitive secrets."</s>Chelsea Manning was released from U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, today after seven years of incarceration. The former Army Intelligence analyst was originally sentenced to 35 years for leaking approximately 750,000 secret documents to WikiLeaks in 2010, and disrupting international diplomacy. Her sentence was commuted in January by Barack Obama.

Manning said in a statement to ABC News:

Manning, who came out as transgender soon after sentencing and began hormone therapy in prison, posted her “first steps to freedom” on Instagram on Wednesday morning.
United States Army soldier Chelsea Manning is released from prison after serving seven years. Manning was sentenced by a U.S. military court to 35 years in prison, but her sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama.