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. 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. 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, 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. 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. 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. 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. “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.
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.