By MATTHEW CHOI
Activist and whistleblower Chelsea Manning attempted to kill herself Wednesday, her legal team said in a news release.
The statement came only a few days before Manning was scheduled to appear at a court hearing on whether sanctions imposed on her after she refused to comply with a grand jury investigation into WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should continue. Manning came to national attention after she leaked classified documents to WikiLeaks and was court-martialed for violating the Espionage Act.
Manning has claimed the grand jury investigation was open to abuse, writing in 2019 that it was “an effort to frighten journalists and publishers, who serve a crucial public good.”
Manning has been jailed for contempt of the investigation for months. She had previously been held in a military prison from 2010 to 2017, until her sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama.
Manning’s lawyers announced on Wednesday that their client was in the hospital, recovering from the suicide attempt.
Published at https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/11/chelsea-manning-suicide-126452?fbclid=IwAR0RcTbtgBq9W4EOWxOeXZ_6tjS4KtQCExfHVEyolluF5LXAOH2sr2bZDAQ
Manning’s Suicide Attempt is Typical for Victims of ‘Prolonged Psychological Torture’ – UN Expert
12.03.2020
On 1 November 2019 Nils Melzer, the UN’s torture expert, said the prolonged detention of Chelsea Manning for refusing to testify before a grand jury amounted to “torture”. Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison for her role in publishing classified documents which revealed US war crimes, before her sentence was commuted.
The UN’s expert on torture Nils Melzer has described US Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning‘s recent suicide attempt as a “typical” act of desperation for someone subjected to “prolonged psychological torture”. Melzer’s comments were made via Twitter on 12 March 2020, the day after Manning’s failed attempt to take her own life. She had previously attempted suicide in 2016 while serving a 35 year prison sentence for her whistleblowing activities, though her sentenced was later commuted by US president Barack Obama.
Read more at https://sputniknews.com/us/202003121078549364-mannings-suicide-attempt-is-typical-for-victims-of-prolonged-psychological-torture-un-expert/
