Chelsea Manning, who confessed to leaking secret diplomatic and military documents to WikiLeaks in 2010, is asking President Obama to release her from military prison.
Manning, whose been incarcerated longer than any other convicted leaker in American history, has petitioned for Obama to reduce her remaining 35-year prison sentence, The New York Times noted.
“I am not asking for a pardon of my conviction,” Manning wrote in a statement that accompanied her petition. “I understand that the various collateral consequences of the court-martial conviction will stay on my record forever. The sole relief I am asking for is to be released from military prison after serving six years of confinement as a person who did not intend to harm the interests of the United States or harm any service members.”
While military prosecutors viewed Manning — formerly known as Pfc. Bradley Manning — as a traitor for revealing documents, she received support from open-government advocates who view her as a hero, The Times noted.
Manning’s petition was accompanied by letters of support from Daniel Ellsberg, known for leaking documents about the history of the Vietnam War; Morris Davis, a former military commissions chief prosecutor; and Glenn Greenwald, a legal commentator and journalist, The Times noted.
“I believe now, in the six and a half weeks we have remaining, we all have to ask President Obama to do with his powers good things before he leaves, before a new president comes in, and I really believe that he should commute Chelsea Manning’s sentence to time served,” Mr. Ellsberg said.
According to Fox News, Manning said she was struggling with issues including gender dysphoria at the time she leaked the documents.
The 28-year-old attempted suicide last month for the second time while in prison, where she is appealing her sentence, Agence France‑Presse reported, according to Yahoo! News.
Manning’s conviction came in August 2013.
Manning is hoping that Obama will consider reducing her sentence before leaving the White House in January, as she doesn’t believe President-elect Donald Trump will consider the sentence reduction, the Times noted.
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