March, 21 2014, 01:26pm EDT
Newly-Appointed Lawyer for Wikileaks Whistle-Blower Chelsea Manning to Discuss Upcoming Appeals
WASHINGTON
What: Panel presentation with legal counsel Nancy Hollander and Vincent Ward. They will be joined by NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake.
When: Sunday, April 13, 2014 at 7:00pm
Where: Georgetown University Law Center, 600 New Jersey Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
Recently selected to represent WikiLeaks whistle-blower PVT Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning during appeals, well-known civil rights attorney Nancy Hollander will participate in a panel discussion on the topics of government whistle-blowing and Manning's upcoming appeals, during which she'll answer questions from the press. The National Law Journal named Hollander one of the nation's top 50 women litigators in 2001. She is preparing now to represent Manning in the US Army Court of Appeals, federal court, and possibly even the Supreme Court.
The panel, which is sponsored by the Georgetown University Law Center chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, will take place at the university's easily accessible Capitol Hill location. Hollander will be joined by law partner Vincent Ward, and former National Security Administration (NSA) official Thomas Drake, who stood trial after blowing the whistle on illegal wire-tapping, fraud and abuse. Manning's appeals are expected to touch on issues of illegal pretrial punishment, government secrecy, executive overreach, and more.
The Chelsea Manning Support Network will also be in attendance at the event to give a brief overview of our ongoing efforts to support Manning in the face of her gender transition, college education and legal appeals.
Background: Manning, a 22-year-old Army Specialist stationed in Baghdad at the time of her arrest in May 2010, released hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents to the transparency website WikiLeaks. Manning explained to the court in a February 28, 2013, statement that she did so in order to spark debate and reforms regarding U.S. foreign policy, specifically the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She was acquitted of "Aiding the Enemy," but found guilty of several counts of Espionage, Computer Fraud, and Federal Theft, for which she was sentenced to 35 years in prison. On August 22, 2014, Manning came out publicly as transgender. She is now seeking to change her name legally from "Bradley Edward Manning" to "Chelsea Elizabeth Manning" and to receive Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). She is excited to begin her legal appeals.
The Chelsea Manning Support Network will continue to be responsible for 100% of Manning's legal fees, as well as international education efforts. Funded by over 22,000 individuals, the Support Network has mustered $1.4 million in Manning's defense.
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