Chelsea Manning sentenced to solitary confinement over suicide attempt News
Chelsea Manning sentenced to solitary confinement over suicide attempt

Chelsea Manning, a former US soldier imprisoned for leaking classified documents, was sentenced on Thursday to two weeks of solitary confinement as a punishment for a suicide attempt, as well as for keeping a banned book in her quarters. According to a statement [text] released by Fight for the Furture [advocacy website], an advocacy group supporting Manning, seven days of the sentence will be suspended on conditions of Manning’s behavior over the next six months. Manning attempted to take her own life [Al Jazeera report] in July.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Manning was being investigated [JURIST report] in July for charges in relation to a suicide attempt at the facility. At the time, ACLU Staff Attorney Chase Strangio issued a statement in which he was deeply critical of the Army’s handling of Manning, in particular the “denial of medical care related to her gender transition” despite “the treatment [being] recognized as necessary.” Earlier this month Manning ended a five-day hunger strike after the Army agreed to allow her to undergo gender reassignment surgery [JURIST report]. In May Manning appealed [JURIST report] her 35-year prison sentence. In 2013 Manning filed for a presidential pardon [JURIST report] of the 35-year sentence. The sentence came a month after she was found guilty [JURIST report] of violating the Espionage Act but was acquitted of the more serious charge of “aiding the enemy.” The judge had raised the burden of proof [JURIST report] in order to require the government to prove that Manning “knowingly” aided al Qaeda. Manning pleaded guilty [JURIST report] to 10 of the 22 charges against her for providing classified materials to WikiLeaks.