Australia has barred Chelsea Manning, convicted of aiding the enemy by leaking sensitive U.S. military documents, from entering the country for a speaking tour, her tour organizer announced on Thursday. Think Inc., the group organizing the tour, said it had received a notice of intention from the Australian government to deny Manning’s entry, “which after a little bit of research and speaking to our legal counsel, we understand is potentially an imminent refusal of her visa,” Think Inc. director Suzi Jamil told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. The group has responded to the decision by calling on Manning’s supporters to lobby the government into reversing the decision. Australia’s new Prime Minister Scott Morrison has indicated the decision will be left at the discretion of his newly appointed immigration minister David Coleman. Private Bradley Manning, who worked as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. Army before leaking classified military and diplomatic documents to Wikileaks, was jailed for 35 years on charges of aiding the enemy. Manning came out as transgender during that sentence and underwent sexual reassignment surgery after going on a hunger strike. President Barack Obama granted Manning clemency shortly before he left office in January 2017. Manning served seven years, or a fifth, of the sentence issued. Amnesty International has supported Manning’s appeal. National director Claire Mallinson claimed that Australia refusing entry would “send a chilling message that freedom of speech is not valued by our government.” Claire Mallinson from @amnestyOz responds to the Australian government threatening visa denial to #ChelseaManning. “By refusing her entry, the Australian government would send a chilling message that freedom of speech is not valued by our government." https://t.co/MV6JBYt8NH — AmnestyInternational (@amnesty) August 30, 2018 The government of New Zealand is still considering whether to grant Manning a “special direction” visa, which would bypass laws preventing entry due to a criminal conviction within the past ten years. The country’s right-wing National Party opposition has urged the government not to grant the request, although Manning could still appeal the decision should it be rejected. The 35-year-old was scheduled to speak in cities across Australia and New Zealand, including Melbourne, Auckland, and Wellington, and Brisbane, although it now appears the entire tour may be canceled. Manning, now a far-left transgender activist, has adopted a number of controversial political positions including support for the abolition of prisons, police, borders, and tradition, and recently ran an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate in Maryland. In May, Manning threatened to commit suicide by posting a suicide note and a picture of a rooftop ledge. Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.<doc-sep>Chelsea Manning speaks at an event in Berlin on May 2, 2018 during her first trip outside of the U.S. after being imprisoned Photo : Getty Whenever Edward Snowden “appears” at conferences around the world, he does so via livestream video from his home in Russia. And it looks like that’s the future that might be in store for whistleblower Chelsea Manning after she was denied a visa to visit Australia. Manning will have to appear by video link from Los Angeles at her next event in Australia because the government hasn’t approved her visa in time . Advertisement Manning was scheduled to speak at the Sydney Opera House’s Antidote festival this coming Sunday. But the festival organizers tell Gizmodo that she hasn’t been granted a visa in time for her arrival. The Australian government, still in turmoil after a messy leadership change last week, has been dragging its feet about giving her a visa based on Australia’s Migration Act of 1958, which prohibits entry into the country based on bad “character.” “We are disappointed that Chelsea will not be able to make it to Australia in time to speak live on stage at the Sydney Opera House Antidote festival on Sunday 2 September,” Think Inc.’s director Suzi Jamil told Gizmodo via email. But organizers still hold out hope that she might be allowed entry into Australia for her two other speaking engagements in Melbourne on September 7th and Brisbane on September 11th. “I hope Chelsea will be allowed to speak live on stage for the remainder of her Australian and New Zealand appearances about timely and interesting topics such as data privacy and surveillance, imprisonment, the suppression of information and ideas by power-structures, and transgender rights,” Jamil told Gizmodo. Manning was convicted in 2010 after she, as an Army private, leaked classified information to WikiLeaks, including a video from 2007 that showed civilians being slaughtered in Iraq. The video is now known by the title “Collateral Murder.” Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison but President Obama commuted her sentence shortly before leaving office in 2017. The whistleblower and activist has been granted a visa to enter New Zealand to speak in Auckland on September 8th and Wellington on September 9th. Conservatives in New Zealand had called for her to be banned from that country as well but she was ultimately given a visa to speak.<doc-sep>Chelsea Manning, a transgender rights activist who was convicted of leaking U.S. classified documents, will not be allowed to enter Australia for a five-city speaking tour, including stops in New Zealand, her event organizer said Thursday. Think Inc. said it had received a notice of intention from the government to deny Manning entry. Manning was scheduled to open a speaking tour at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday. Other stops in Australia included Melbourne and Brisbane, and two appearances were planned in Wellington, and Auckland, New Zealand. The event organizer called on Manning's supporters to lobby new Immigration Minister David Coleman to allow her into Australia. While she can appeal, past precedent suggests the decision has already been made. Think Inc. said it had given the government more than 10 letters of support from individuals and organizations who defend Manning’s entry to Australia. “Ms. Manning offers formidable ideas and an insightful perspective, which we are hoping to bring to the forefront of Australian dialogue,” Think Inc. director Suzi Jamil said in a statement. A change.org petition appealing to the government to reverse the decision has received over 12,000 signatures. Amnesty International accused the government of trying to silence Manning. “By refusing her entry, the Australian government would send a chilling message that freedom of speech is not valued by our government,” Amnesty International national director Claire Mallinson said in a statement. More:Chelsea Manning is running for the U.S. Senate More:In 1st interview since release, Chelsea Manning thanks Obama for 2nd chance Manning was to be interviewed by Peter Greste, an Australian journalist who was jailed for a year in Egypt for allegedly spreading false news and aiding the banned Muslim Brotherhood. Greste said on Twitter that the government "shows a lack of self-confidence in the integrity and the strength of our democracy" by denying her entry. One alternative could be holding the interview via Skype, The Canberra Times reports. Manning was an intelligence analyst for the U.S. Army when she leaked military and diplomatic documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. She served seven years of a 35-year sentence before then-President Barack Obama granted her clemency in 2017. The Department of Home Affairs said while it does not comment on individual cases, all non-citizens entering Australia must meet character requirements set out in the Migration Act. The reasons a person might fail the character test include a criminal record or a determination they might be a risk to the community, according to the department. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the decision was up to Coleman, who was sworn in Tuesday as immigration minister. Penny Wong, a foreign affairs spokeswoman for the opposition Labor Party, said the government should be transparent about the reason if Manning is denied entry. Lawyer Greg Barns, who has represented Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, said people with criminal records have been allowed into Australia in the past. He said no one would seriously suggest Manning was a risk to the Australian community. Immigration in New Zealand expects to make a decision by Friday on whether to grant her a “special direction” visa. She doesn’t qualify for entry otherwise because she has a criminal conviction within the last 10 years for which she had a sentence exceeding one year, according to the country’s visa rules. New Zealand’s center-right National Party opposition has urged the government to decline her visa request. Contributing: The Associated Press<doc-sep>
CANBERRA, Australia — Convicted classified document leaker Chelsea Manning will not be allowed to enter Australia for a speaking tour scheduled to start Sunday, her event organizer said on Thursday. Think Inc. said it had received a notice of intention from the government to deny Manning entry on Wednesday. The group is calling on her supporters to lobby new Immigration Minister David Coleman to allow her into Australia. While she can appeal, past precedent suggests the decision has already been made. Think Inc. said it had given the government more than 10 letters of support from individuals and organizations who support Manning's entry to Australia. "Ms. Manning offers formidable ideas and an insightful perspective which we are hoping to bring to the forefront of Australian dialogue," Think Inc. Director Suzi Jamil said in a statement. Manning was an intelligence analyst for the U.S. Army when she leaked military and diplomatic documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. She served seven years of a 35-year sentence before then-President Barack Obama granted her clemency in 2017. The transgender activist who recently lost a long-shot bid for a U.S. Senate seat in Maryland is scheduled to speak at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday and has subsequent events in Australia and New Zealand. The Department of Home Affairs said while it does not comment on individual cases, all non-citizens entering Australia must meet character requirements set out in the Migration Act. The reasons a person might fail the character test include a criminal record or a determination they might pose a risk to the community, according to the department. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the decision was for Coleman, who was sworn in as immigration minister on Tuesday. A foreign affairs spokeswoman for the opposition Labor party, Penny Wong, said the government should be transparent about the reason if Manning is denied entry. Amnesty International accused the government of trying to silence Manning. "By refusing her entry, the Australian government would send a chilling message that freedom of speech is not valued by our government," Amnesty International national director Claire Mallinson said in a statement. Lawyer Greg Barns, who has represented Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, said people with criminal records have been allowed into Australia in the past. He said no one would seriously suggest Manning was a risk to the Australian community. Immigration in New Zealand expects to make a decision by Friday on whether to grant her a "special direction" visa. She doesn't qualify for entry otherwise because she has a criminal conviction within the last 10 years for which she had a sentence exceeding 1 year, according to the country's visa rules. New Zealand's center-right National Party opposition is urging the government to decline her visa request. If the decision goes against Manning, she can have it reviewed by the immigration minister. She is due to speak in the Australian city of Melbourne on Sept. 7, the New Zealand city of Auckland on Sept. 8, the New Zealand capital Wellington on Sept. 9 and the Australian city of Brisbane on Sept. 11.