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If President Obama Doesn't Commute Her Sentence, Chelsea Manning Won't Survive
The whistleblower’s degrading treatment is likely to worsen under Donald Trump. There are only a few days left to rescue her
Jan 12, 2017
Reports suggest that imprisoned transparency advocate Chelsea Manning is on President Obama's "shortlist" for a possible commutation.
If true, this move would offer a glimmer of hope during a time when it is in short supply. If President Obama fails to act now, he is condemning Chelsea to a gruesome fate, and his legacy as an advocate for LGBTQ rights will be forever tarnished.
Chelsea Manning is a transgender woman who has already served 7 years of a 35 year sentence in an all-male military facility. Her crime? Releasing documents that revealed the impacts of war on civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Chelsea witnessed atrocities, and bravely did what she felt was right to expose them. Her outrageously long sentence, nearly 10 times longer than other recent whistleblowers, is shocking enough, but we can add to that to the disturbing abuse that Chelsea has faced behind bars.
"Chelsea Manning is a transgender woman who has already served 7 years of a 35 year sentence in an all-male military facility. Her crime? Releasing documents that revealed the impacts of war on civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan."
For 8 months, Chelsea was held in a form of solitary confinement which the United Nations considers to be torture.
Since then, Chelsea has been denied some medically recommended treatments for gender dysphoria. And despite the Obama administration's stated support for the rights of transgender prisoners, Chelsea has had to undergo a stressful and protracted legal battle with the Justice Department just to gain the right to be herself while in prison.
Since her arrest in 2010, the government's perverse mistreatment of Chelsea has made international headlines seemingly every month. She's been threatened with severe punishment and solitary confinement for minor "infractions" like having an expired tube of toothpaste in her cell, and has faced constant scrutiny and harassment from prison officials.
Chelsea has twice attempted to end her own life as a direct result of the inhumane conditions of her imprisonment and in particular the extreme distress she has experienced due to the denial of proper health care. After her first suicide attempt, she was cruelly punished with solitary confinement, which only deepened her despair.
Chelsea has already been incarcerated for longer than any other whistleblower in United States history, despite the fact that intelligence officials agree that her actions - which were clearly intended to be in the public interest - never put anyone in danger. She has suffered more than enough.
President Obama has just 8 days to do the right thing and commute Chelsea's sentence to time served. If he chooses to keep her behind bars, he is all but signing Chelsea's death warrant. Chelsea's attorney at the ACLU said on Wednesday that she won't survive another 5 years in prison, much less another 30.
Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked whistleblowers like Chelsea as "traitors," and members of his incoming cabinet have called for her execution. Given the degrading treatment that Chelsea has suffered under the Obama administration, I shudder to think about what her life will be like during the next four years if she remains in prison.
Through my work as a free speech activist, I have become friends with Chelsea and am lucky enough to speak to her on the phone on a regular basis. She is one of the most courageous, compassionate, intellectually curious and gentle people I've ever had the privilege to get to know.
Since her arrest she has dedicated her life to helping others. As a Guardian columnist, trans icon, and advocate for human rights, Chelsea has done so much for all of us. Now more than ever, we need people like Chelsea Manning in the world.
I know I won't be able to sleep tonight knowing that President Obama could be deciding Chelsea's fate at any moment. I sincerely hope that he listens to the overwhelming public outcry and releases Chelsea so that she can start the journey of the rest of her life.
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Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Evan Greer
Evan Greer is the campaign director of Fight for the Future, a digital rights nonprofit known for organizing massive online protests to defend free expression on the Internet. She's a transgender parent, organizes a monthly queer dance party and travels internationally as a political musician, speaker, and workshop facilitator. Follow her on Twitter: @evan_greer
Reports suggest that imprisoned transparency advocate Chelsea Manning is on President Obama's "shortlist" for a possible commutation.
If true, this move would offer a glimmer of hope during a time when it is in short supply. If President Obama fails to act now, he is condemning Chelsea to a gruesome fate, and his legacy as an advocate for LGBTQ rights will be forever tarnished.
Chelsea Manning is a transgender woman who has already served 7 years of a 35 year sentence in an all-male military facility. Her crime? Releasing documents that revealed the impacts of war on civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Chelsea witnessed atrocities, and bravely did what she felt was right to expose them. Her outrageously long sentence, nearly 10 times longer than other recent whistleblowers, is shocking enough, but we can add to that to the disturbing abuse that Chelsea has faced behind bars.
"Chelsea Manning is a transgender woman who has already served 7 years of a 35 year sentence in an all-male military facility. Her crime? Releasing documents that revealed the impacts of war on civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan."
For 8 months, Chelsea was held in a form of solitary confinement which the United Nations considers to be torture.
Since then, Chelsea has been denied some medically recommended treatments for gender dysphoria. And despite the Obama administration's stated support for the rights of transgender prisoners, Chelsea has had to undergo a stressful and protracted legal battle with the Justice Department just to gain the right to be herself while in prison.
Since her arrest in 2010, the government's perverse mistreatment of Chelsea has made international headlines seemingly every month. She's been threatened with severe punishment and solitary confinement for minor "infractions" like having an expired tube of toothpaste in her cell, and has faced constant scrutiny and harassment from prison officials.
Chelsea has twice attempted to end her own life as a direct result of the inhumane conditions of her imprisonment and in particular the extreme distress she has experienced due to the denial of proper health care. After her first suicide attempt, she was cruelly punished with solitary confinement, which only deepened her despair.
Chelsea has already been incarcerated for longer than any other whistleblower in United States history, despite the fact that intelligence officials agree that her actions - which were clearly intended to be in the public interest - never put anyone in danger. She has suffered more than enough.
President Obama has just 8 days to do the right thing and commute Chelsea's sentence to time served. If he chooses to keep her behind bars, he is all but signing Chelsea's death warrant. Chelsea's attorney at the ACLU said on Wednesday that she won't survive another 5 years in prison, much less another 30.
Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked whistleblowers like Chelsea as "traitors," and members of his incoming cabinet have called for her execution. Given the degrading treatment that Chelsea has suffered under the Obama administration, I shudder to think about what her life will be like during the next four years if she remains in prison.
Through my work as a free speech activist, I have become friends with Chelsea and am lucky enough to speak to her on the phone on a regular basis. She is one of the most courageous, compassionate, intellectually curious and gentle people I've ever had the privilege to get to know.
Since her arrest she has dedicated her life to helping others. As a Guardian columnist, trans icon, and advocate for human rights, Chelsea has done so much for all of us. Now more than ever, we need people like Chelsea Manning in the world.
I know I won't be able to sleep tonight knowing that President Obama could be deciding Chelsea's fate at any moment. I sincerely hope that he listens to the overwhelming public outcry and releases Chelsea so that she can start the journey of the rest of her life.
Evan Greer
Evan Greer is the campaign director of Fight for the Future, a digital rights nonprofit known for organizing massive online protests to defend free expression on the Internet. She's a transgender parent, organizes a monthly queer dance party and travels internationally as a political musician, speaker, and workshop facilitator. Follow her on Twitter: @evan_greer
Reports suggest that imprisoned transparency advocate Chelsea Manning is on President Obama's "shortlist" for a possible commutation.
If true, this move would offer a glimmer of hope during a time when it is in short supply. If President Obama fails to act now, he is condemning Chelsea to a gruesome fate, and his legacy as an advocate for LGBTQ rights will be forever tarnished.
Chelsea Manning is a transgender woman who has already served 7 years of a 35 year sentence in an all-male military facility. Her crime? Releasing documents that revealed the impacts of war on civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Chelsea witnessed atrocities, and bravely did what she felt was right to expose them. Her outrageously long sentence, nearly 10 times longer than other recent whistleblowers, is shocking enough, but we can add to that to the disturbing abuse that Chelsea has faced behind bars.
"Chelsea Manning is a transgender woman who has already served 7 years of a 35 year sentence in an all-male military facility. Her crime? Releasing documents that revealed the impacts of war on civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan."
For 8 months, Chelsea was held in a form of solitary confinement which the United Nations considers to be torture.
Since then, Chelsea has been denied some medically recommended treatments for gender dysphoria. And despite the Obama administration's stated support for the rights of transgender prisoners, Chelsea has had to undergo a stressful and protracted legal battle with the Justice Department just to gain the right to be herself while in prison.
Since her arrest in 2010, the government's perverse mistreatment of Chelsea has made international headlines seemingly every month. She's been threatened with severe punishment and solitary confinement for minor "infractions" like having an expired tube of toothpaste in her cell, and has faced constant scrutiny and harassment from prison officials.
Chelsea has twice attempted to end her own life as a direct result of the inhumane conditions of her imprisonment and in particular the extreme distress she has experienced due to the denial of proper health care. After her first suicide attempt, she was cruelly punished with solitary confinement, which only deepened her despair.
Chelsea has already been incarcerated for longer than any other whistleblower in United States history, despite the fact that intelligence officials agree that her actions - which were clearly intended to be in the public interest - never put anyone in danger. She has suffered more than enough.
President Obama has just 8 days to do the right thing and commute Chelsea's sentence to time served. If he chooses to keep her behind bars, he is all but signing Chelsea's death warrant. Chelsea's attorney at the ACLU said on Wednesday that she won't survive another 5 years in prison, much less another 30.
Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked whistleblowers like Chelsea as "traitors," and members of his incoming cabinet have called for her execution. Given the degrading treatment that Chelsea has suffered under the Obama administration, I shudder to think about what her life will be like during the next four years if she remains in prison.
Through my work as a free speech activist, I have become friends with Chelsea and am lucky enough to speak to her on the phone on a regular basis. She is one of the most courageous, compassionate, intellectually curious and gentle people I've ever had the privilege to get to know.
Since her arrest she has dedicated her life to helping others. As a Guardian columnist, trans icon, and advocate for human rights, Chelsea has done so much for all of us. Now more than ever, we need people like Chelsea Manning in the world.
I know I won't be able to sleep tonight knowing that President Obama could be deciding Chelsea's fate at any moment. I sincerely hope that he listens to the overwhelming public outcry and releases Chelsea so that she can start the journey of the rest of her life.
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