She served seven years of a 35-year sentence before then-President Barack Obama granted her clemency in 2017. In response to the news that the Australian government is considering denying American activist Chelsea Manning a visa to enter Australia for a series of public talks, Claire Mallinson, National Director of Amnesty International Australia said: 
 
 “Amnesty International is very concerned that the Australian government is seeking to silence American activist Chelsea Manning by intending to deny her a visa into Australia.
– Chelsea Manning won't be permitted to enter Australia for a speaking tour scheduled to kick off at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday after that country's Department of Home Affairs deemed the American classified document leaker failed to meet character requirements. While the Australian government won't address Manning's case specifically, per the AP, a person having a criminal record could cause them to fail the character test. Manning, a former US Army intelligence officer, was convicted of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks and served seven years in prison. Manning also has speaking dates scheduled in New Zealand. That country's government is still considering whether to grant her a "special direction" visa, which she would need due to her conviction. In a statement, Amnesty International says Australia's decision sends a "chilling message that freedom of speech is not valued."