Chelsea Manning recovering after attempted jail suicide

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Chelsea Manning was recovering Wednesday after attempting suicide while jailed here for refusing to cooperate with a grand jury investigation into WikiLeaks, according to attorneys for the former Army intelligence analyst.

At the time of the incident, Manning was slated to appear for a Friday hearing where attorneys were preparing to argue for her release from civil contempt sanctions.

“In spite of those sanctions – which have so far included over a year of so-called coercive incarceration and nearly half a million dollars in threatened fines – she remains unwavering in her refusal to participate in a secret grand jury process that she sees as highly susceptible to abuse,” Manning’s legal team said in a written statement.

“Ms. Manning has previously indicated that she will not betray her principles, even at risk of grave harm to herself.” 

U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga had said that Manning refused to testify because of a philosophical objection to the use of grand juries and that Manning has persisted in her refusal. 

Manning’s case has attracted heightened attention because of her status as a transgender soldier. She was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 for her role in leaking a cache of classified government material to WikiLeaks. At the time, she was known as Bradley Manning. President Barack Obama commuted her sentence in 2017.

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