AFP :
Chelsea Manning, the transgender army private jailed for one of the largest leaks of classified documents in US history, was released from a military prison Wednesday after seven years behind bars.
The 29-year-old walked free from a maximum-security facility in Kansas thanks to a commutation of her sentence by president Barack Obama before he left office.
Manning “has been released from the United States Disciplinary Barracks” at Fort Leavenworth, US Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said in a brief statement.
In July 2010, Manning-then a male soldier known as Bradley-was arrested over the release of a huge trove of more than 700,000 classified military and diplomatic documents via WikiLeaks.
Without Obama’s parting gift, the army private, who served as an intelligence official in Iraq, would have remained behind bars until 2045, after serving a 35-year sentence.
Supporters of Manning-who attempted suicide twice last year alone-said they feared she would not have been able to survive the long sentence. Now, she can complete her transition as a free, openly transgender woman. “Two more days until the freedom of civilian life,” Manning tweeted Monday. “Now hunting for private #healthcare like millions of Americans.”
Chelsea Manning, the transgender army private jailed for one of the largest leaks of classified documents in US history, was released from a military prison Wednesday after seven years behind bars.
The 29-year-old walked free from a maximum-security facility in Kansas thanks to a commutation of her sentence by president Barack Obama before he left office.
Manning “has been released from the United States Disciplinary Barracks” at Fort Leavenworth, US Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said in a brief statement.
In July 2010, Manning-then a male soldier known as Bradley-was arrested over the release of a huge trove of more than 700,000 classified military and diplomatic documents via WikiLeaks.
Without Obama’s parting gift, the army private, who served as an intelligence official in Iraq, would have remained behind bars until 2045, after serving a 35-year sentence.
Supporters of Manning-who attempted suicide twice last year alone-said they feared she would not have been able to survive the long sentence. Now, she can complete her transition as a free, openly transgender woman. “Two more days until the freedom of civilian life,” Manning tweeted Monday. “Now hunting for private #healthcare like millions of Americans.”
