Obama Slashes Whistleblower Chelsea Manning’s Jail Sentence; She Will Be Freed In May This Year

In his final days of presidency, Barack Obama has commuted Chelsea Manning’s prison sentence; the army intelligence whistleblower will now be released on May 17 this year.

Manning has been in jail for almost seven years, serving a 35-year sentence for leaking more than 700,000 sensitive government documents. The former U.S. military intelligence analyst was behind the biggest breach of classified materials in American history, said the White House.

She had provided classified documents, videos, diplomatic cables and battlefield accounts to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange previously agreed to being extradited to the United States if President Obama granted clemency to Manning. On Twitter, WikiLeaks wrote: “If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ (US Department of Justice) case.”

Assange has been living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012 to avoid being extradited to Sweden on sexual assault allegations. The former Australian computer hacker has faced threats of prosecution from Washington, though no charges have been filed.

Manning is being held at a military prison in Kansas, where—according to her attorney—she has twice attempted suicide. She was convicted of espionage, a sentence which was seen to exceed international legal norms.

Photo: Reuters (via US Army)