Chelsea manning case judge orders release from prison

On March 11, 2021, Judge Teresa J. Sullivan of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ordered the release of Chelsea Manning from prison. Manning, a former United States Army intelligence analyst, had been serving a 35-year sentence for leaking classified information to WikiLeaks in 2010.

Manning's sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama in 2017, but she was still facing a 30-day sentence for refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks. Manning had been held in solitary confinement at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center in Alexandria, Virginia, since March 2019.

Judge Sullivan's order came after Manning's lawyers argued that her confinement was unconstitutional and that she had already served her sentence. The judge agreed, stating that Manning's continued detention was "arbitrary and capricious" and that she had been "punished enough."

Manning was released from prison on May 17, 2021, after serving nearly seven years in prison. She was greeted by supporters and human rights advocates outside the prison, who celebrated her release and hailed it as a victory for freedom of speech and press freedom.

Manning's case has been widely criticized for its impact on whistleblowers and journalists, and her release has been seen as a significant victory for those who advocate for transparency and accountability in government.