Pvt chelsea manning set for release after 7 years in prison
Chelsea Manning, the former US Army intelligence analyst who was convicted of leaking classified information to WikiLeaks, is set to be released from prison on May 17, 2020, after serving seven years of her 35-year sentence.
Manning, who was born Bradley Manning, was arrested in 2010 and charged with espionage and other offenses for leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks. She was convicted in 2013 and sentenced to 35 years in prison.
However, in 2017, President Barack Obama commuted Manning's sentence, reducing it to seven years. Manning has been serving her sentence at the US Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Manning's release comes after she has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and has undergone hormone therapy to transition to a woman. She has also been recognized as a whistleblower and has been the subject of international human rights campaigns.
Manning's release has been met with mixed reactions. Some have hailed her as a hero for exposing government wrongdoing, while others have criticized her actions as a threat to national security.
In a statement, Manning said: "I'm looking forward to being able to live my life as the person I've always been, without the constraints of the military and the prison system. I'm grateful to President Obama for commuting my sentence and to the many people who have supported me throughout this journey."
Manning's release is expected to be closely watched, as it raises questions about the treatment of whistleblowers and the balance between national security and individual rights.