Chelsea Manning has been freed after 62 days in jail. Her original sentence was for contempt of court, a secret grand jury court mind you, where she refused to answer questions about WikiLeaks or Assange.
Manning said all the informationwar was given in her 2013 trial which saw her imprisoned for 6 years before the Obama administration pardoned her. She was locked up for leaking documents, video and diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks which put them on the map and brought on the hatred of the American Empire. That's why the U.S. is targeting Julian Assange right now and going after Manning again to get to Assange.
The original sentence was to be upheld as long as Manning refused to answer questions. This was to last as long as the grand jury was being held, and could have been up to 18 months in jail. At first glance, it looks like the court authoritarians just gave in and let her out, but not so.
The release comes from a technicality for the grand jury's terms having expired. Manning's legal team released a statement about her being freed:
"Today marked the expiration of the term of the grand jury, and so, after 62 days of confinement, Chelsea was released from the Alexandria Detention Center earlier today.
Unfortunately, even prior to her release, Chelsea was served with another subpoena. This means she is expected to appear before a different grand jury, on Thursday, May 16, 2019, just one week from her release today.
It is therefore conceivable that she will once again be held in contempt of court, and be returned to the custody of the Alexandria Detention Center, possibly as soon as next Thursday, May 16.
Chelsea will continue to refuse to answer questions, and will use every available legal defense to prove to District Judge Trenga that she has just cause for her refusal to give testimony."
A personal message from Manning is expected. The release comes days after Manning made a legal filing to the courts about her situation and deteriorating condition, where she reiterated her refusal to submit to the authorities who are bullying her to answer questions about WIkiLeaks and Assange in order to find any angle to go after them.
"In an ideal world, agreeing to cooperate would avoid this situation, however, this government abuses the grand jury process, and forces me to choose between an unethical decision and suffering intimate and permanent consequences for doing the right thing. I am not willing to compromise for my own physical benefit.
This decision comes at an overwhelming cost, My physical and mental health deteriorate rapidly in conditions normally reserved for short term confinement. I am almost entirely without sunlight. My skin regularly breaks out from bacterial infections. I gain weight due to poor nutrition, currently at nearly twenty pounds since March.
Sleep and concentration remain difficult. Mental health access remains limited, without access to comprehensive treatment for complex post-traumatic stress — stemming in part from previous confinement conditions."
Manning isn't out of the woods yet, as there is apparently already another subpoena that was sent to her, "commanding" her to testify for the exact same issue. It seems this will be repeated torment imposed by the authoritarians, as they drag her into court onto to lock her in a cage for refusing to answer their questions.
And make no mistake, Manning will continue to refuse to answer, as she and her lawyers have stated. She is a principled person who won't give in to the threats, coercion and bullying of the state powers who are trying their hardest to find every little crumb to attack Assange with. Manning is still despised for her leaks, but can't be convicted of them again. This is another way they authoritarians are able to punish her for aligning with real truth and justice against their tyranny and power.
Manning will have some time to recuperate and be free for a short time before paying the price for standing by principles of truth and justice again, and be locked up by the cowards who hide behind false "laws".
References:
- Chelsea Manning: Wikileaks source jailed for contempt is freed
- Chelsea Manning released from Virginia jail after 62 days
- Chelsea Manning Probably Won’t Be Out of Jail for Long
- Chelsea Manning Released from Alexandria Detention Center After Grand Jury Lapses
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Posted from KURE