Chelsea Manning to Remain on Active Duty for Army

Chelsea Manning will remain an active-duty soldier in the United States Army after she is released from Fort Leavenworth on May 17, Fox News reports.

While her court-martial conviction is under appeal, Manning will be placed on leave without pay as a private, though she will have access to healthcare and other benefits, such as commissaries and military exchanges.

“Pvt. Manning is statutorily entitled to medical care while on excess leave in an active duty status, pending final appellate review,” Army spokesman Dave Foster told USA Today.

Manning had been sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking hundreds of thousands of documents, but her sentence was commuted by former President Barack Obama as one of his final acts in office. Her lawyer, Chase Strangio, said in a statement from the American Civil Liberties Union that Manning had endured abuse at Leavenworth.

"Like far too many people in prison, particularly transgender women, Chelsea Manning has had to survive unthinkable violence throughout the seven years of her incarceration," Strangio said.

In the ACLU statement, Manning said, "For the first time, I can see a future for myself as Chelsea," Manning said. "I can imagine surviving and living as the person who I am and can finally be in the outside world."

President Donald Trump was a vocal opponent of Manning's release, calling her a "traitor" in a January tweet.

• Chelsea Manning Being Freed, Says She Wants to Help Others
• Intelligence Leaker Chelsea Manning Speaks Out Ahead of Prison Release