Chelsea Manning was freed from a military prison on Wednesday, having served seven of a 35-year sentence for revealing government secrets. Her transition from a man to a woman soldier kept her in the news and she was granted clemency by Barack Obama as he left office.
Manning was convicted in 2013 of 20 counts, including six Espionage Act violations, theft and computer fraud, for providing WikiLeaks with a huge dump of secret documents, noted The Associated Press. She was acquitted of the most serious charge of aiding the enemy.
The AP said the leaks laid bare sensitive secrets and endangered information sources. The State Department had to move people to protect their safety and several ambassadors were recalled, expelled or reassigned because of embarrassing disclosures.
Manning was released from Fort Leavenworth in Kansas around 2 a.m. local time, military sources confirmed. Her whereabouts after that were unknown.
The Army said Manning will remain on active duty without pay, but will receive health care and other benefits. While in military prison, she reportedly received gender-supporting treatment.
Manning claimed she had to endure cruel circumstances while incarcerated, which led to her trying to commit suicide twice last year.
Manning, known then as Bradley, was an intelligence analyst in Iraq and she has acknowledged leaking the materials, which included battlefield video.
Manning said she released the documents to WikiLeaks because she felt the U.S. military was ignoring the trauma that many civilians suffered from as a result of war. Manning added, though, that she didn’t plan for the released documents to harm the U.S. in any way.
Manning opened up about her prison release in a statement last week.
“For the first time, I can see a future for myself as Chelsea,” Manning said in a pre-release news release, according to BBC News. “I can imagine surviving and living as the person who I am and can finally be in the outside world.”
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