SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
"Isn't it clear that Canadians, like Americans, would benefit from engaging her in discussion and debate?" asked free speech attorney Jameel Jaffer in response to the ban. (Photo: @xychelsea/Instagram)
Chelsea Manning, Whistleblower Who Exposed US War Crimes, Barred from Canada
Civil libertarians slammed the Canadian government, arguing that "obviously Chelsea Manning doesn't present any danger to Canada's security."
Sep 26, 2017
Arguing that she is "inadmissible on grounds of serious criminality for having been convicted of an offense outside Canada," the Canadian government appears to have "permanently banned" whistleblower Chelsea Manning from entering the country--a discovery that prompted outrage from civil libertarians after it was reported Monday by The Intercept.
"A key political fact in the West: war criminals are never punished; only those who expose them are."
--Glenn Greenwald, The Intercept
"Obviously Chelsea Manning doesn't present any danger to Canada's security," Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, told The Intercept in response to the news. "And isn't it clear that Canadians, like Americans, would benefit from engaging her in discussion and debate?"
Manning found out about the ban at a New York-Quebec border, BBC News reports, and she posted a letter she received from Canadian immigration officials on Twitter.
\u201cso, i guess canada has permanently banned me ? \u270b\ud83e\udd20\ud83c\udf04\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 @CitImmCanada denied entry b/c of convictions similar to "treason" offense \ud83e\udd14\ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udc95\u201d— Chelsea E. Manning (@Chelsea E. Manning) 1506352802
The letter notes that "if committed in Canada [Manning's] offense would equate to an indictable offense, namely Treason described under section 46(2)(B) of the Criminal Code of Canada, punishable under section 47(2)(C) of the Criminal Code of Canada, for which a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment may be imposed."
Minutes after posting the Canadian government's letter, Manning vowed to challenge the denial of entry, but noted that no court date has been set.
Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 after she was convicted of espionage by a military court for leaking U.S. military and diplomatic cables to Wikileaks.
After seven years of jail time--including long stints in solitary confinement--Manning's sentence was commuted by former President Barack Obama, and she was released in May.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about the ban on Monday, but declined to comment.
Glenn Greenwald, co-founding editor at The Intercept, argued that Canada's decision to bar Manning from entering the country reveals a fundamental and uncomfortable fact about the treatment of whistleblowers, in contrast to the treatment of those whose crimes they expose.
"A key political fact in the West: war criminals are never punished; only those who expose them are," Greenwald wrote on Twitter.
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Arguing that she is "inadmissible on grounds of serious criminality for having been convicted of an offense outside Canada," the Canadian government appears to have "permanently banned" whistleblower Chelsea Manning from entering the country--a discovery that prompted outrage from civil libertarians after it was reported Monday by The Intercept.
"A key political fact in the West: war criminals are never punished; only those who expose them are."
--Glenn Greenwald, The Intercept
"Obviously Chelsea Manning doesn't present any danger to Canada's security," Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, told The Intercept in response to the news. "And isn't it clear that Canadians, like Americans, would benefit from engaging her in discussion and debate?"
Manning found out about the ban at a New York-Quebec border, BBC News reports, and she posted a letter she received from Canadian immigration officials on Twitter.
\u201cso, i guess canada has permanently banned me ? \u270b\ud83e\udd20\ud83c\udf04\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 @CitImmCanada denied entry b/c of convictions similar to "treason" offense \ud83e\udd14\ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udc95\u201d— Chelsea E. Manning (@Chelsea E. Manning) 1506352802
The letter notes that "if committed in Canada [Manning's] offense would equate to an indictable offense, namely Treason described under section 46(2)(B) of the Criminal Code of Canada, punishable under section 47(2)(C) of the Criminal Code of Canada, for which a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment may be imposed."
Minutes after posting the Canadian government's letter, Manning vowed to challenge the denial of entry, but noted that no court date has been set.
Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 after she was convicted of espionage by a military court for leaking U.S. military and diplomatic cables to Wikileaks.
After seven years of jail time--including long stints in solitary confinement--Manning's sentence was commuted by former President Barack Obama, and she was released in May.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about the ban on Monday, but declined to comment.
Glenn Greenwald, co-founding editor at The Intercept, argued that Canada's decision to bar Manning from entering the country reveals a fundamental and uncomfortable fact about the treatment of whistleblowers, in contrast to the treatment of those whose crimes they expose.
"A key political fact in the West: war criminals are never punished; only those who expose them are," Greenwald wrote on Twitter.
Arguing that she is "inadmissible on grounds of serious criminality for having been convicted of an offense outside Canada," the Canadian government appears to have "permanently banned" whistleblower Chelsea Manning from entering the country--a discovery that prompted outrage from civil libertarians after it was reported Monday by The Intercept.
"A key political fact in the West: war criminals are never punished; only those who expose them are."
--Glenn Greenwald, The Intercept
"Obviously Chelsea Manning doesn't present any danger to Canada's security," Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, told The Intercept in response to the news. "And isn't it clear that Canadians, like Americans, would benefit from engaging her in discussion and debate?"
Manning found out about the ban at a New York-Quebec border, BBC News reports, and she posted a letter she received from Canadian immigration officials on Twitter.
\u201cso, i guess canada has permanently banned me ? \u270b\ud83e\udd20\ud83c\udf04\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 @CitImmCanada denied entry b/c of convictions similar to "treason" offense \ud83e\udd14\ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udc95\u201d— Chelsea E. Manning (@Chelsea E. Manning) 1506352802
The letter notes that "if committed in Canada [Manning's] offense would equate to an indictable offense, namely Treason described under section 46(2)(B) of the Criminal Code of Canada, punishable under section 47(2)(C) of the Criminal Code of Canada, for which a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment may be imposed."
Minutes after posting the Canadian government's letter, Manning vowed to challenge the denial of entry, but noted that no court date has been set.
Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 after she was convicted of espionage by a military court for leaking U.S. military and diplomatic cables to Wikileaks.
After seven years of jail time--including long stints in solitary confinement--Manning's sentence was commuted by former President Barack Obama, and she was released in May.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about the ban on Monday, but declined to comment.
Glenn Greenwald, co-founding editor at The Intercept, argued that Canada's decision to bar Manning from entering the country reveals a fundamental and uncomfortable fact about the treatment of whistleblowers, in contrast to the treatment of those whose crimes they expose.
"A key political fact in the West: war criminals are never punished; only those who expose them are," Greenwald wrote on Twitter.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.