 Chelsea Manning faces new charges, indefinite solitary confinement, related to suicide attempt 
 
 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, July 28, 2016 
 
 Contact: Christina DiPasquale, christina@balestramedia.com, 202.716.1953 
 
 U.S government has systematically abused imprisoned whistleblower, continues to deny access to gender related health care 
 
 LEAVENWORTH, KS––Imprisoned whistleblower Chelsea Manning reported to attorneys and friends that she received a document from 
 
 Army officials today informing her that she is being investigated for serious new charges related to her July 5th, 2016 attempt to take her own life. According to a charge sheet posted by the American Civil Liberties Union, Manning was informed by military officials on Thursday that she is under investigation for “resisting the force cell move team,” “prohibited property,” and “conduct which threatens.” In the weeks following her suicide attempt, she has been active on social media, thanking her followers for their moral support. “The government has long been aware of Chelsea’s distress associated with the denial of medical care related to her gender transition and yet delayed and denied the treatment recognized as necessary,” ACLU attorney Chase Strangio said in a statement. “Now, while Chelsea is suffering the darkest depression she has experienced since her arrest, the government is taking actions to punish her for that pain. Crowley publicly described Manning’s treatment in prison as “ridiculous, counterproductive, and stupid.” 
 
 Following a 14-month investigation into Manning’s treatment by the United Nations special rapporteur on torture, the U.N. accused the U.S. government of holding Manning in conditions that constituted “cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment,” particularly with regard to the extended use of pretrial solitary confinement.
– Once punished over old toothpaste, Chelsea Manning could spend the next three decades in solitary confinement following her suicide attempt earlier this month. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, Manning has been informed she is under investigation for allegedly "resisting the force cell move team," "prohibited property," and "conduct which threatens" in connection with her July 5 suicide bid. If found guilty, her potential consequences include having to serve the remainder of her 35-year sentence in solitary confinement, being slapped with nine more years in custody, or getting transferred to a maximum security facility. It could also affect her chances of getting parole. Activists say Manning has long been pained by a denial of medical care for her gender dysphoria, "which medical experts have clearly stated is the only course of treatment in which she would no longer be suicidal," according to civil liberties group Fight for the Future. "Now, while Chelsea is suffering the darkest depression she has experienced since her arrest, the government is taking actions to punish her for that pain," says an ACLU rep. "It is unconscionable." Earlier this year, Manning wrote about spending nine months in solitary confinement for the Guardian, noting, "within two weeks, I was already contemplating suicide." The UN has described Manning's treatment in prison as "cruel, inhuman, and degrading," reports the Intercept.