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| President Obama commutes Chelsea Manning’s prison sentence | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| President Obama has commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, the former army intelligence analyst who was convicted of leaking classified military documents to Wikileaks. | |
| The 29-year-old whistleblower, who was sentenced to 35-years in prison in August 2013, will now be released in five months, on 17 May of this year, instead of 2024. | |
| Since her incarceration, the former US Army soldier who was known as Bradley Manning, attempted suicide twice last year and went on a hunger strike at the US Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. | |
| She continued her protest for less than a week until doctors allowed her to receive gender reassignment surgery. A military doctor has nonetheless refused to change her gender on her military records. | |
| Mr Obama commuted a total of 209 sentences this week, pardoning 64 people at the same time. Over the course of his eight years in office, he has commuted the sentences of 1,385 people - the most issued by any president in US history. He’s also granted a total of 212 pardons. | |
| “While the mercy the President has shown his 1,597 clemency recipients is remarkable, we must remember that clemency is an extraordinary remedy, granted only after the President has concluded that a particular individual has demonstrated a readiness to make use of his or her second chance,” White House Counsel Neil Eggleston wrote in a statement. | “While the mercy the President has shown his 1,597 clemency recipients is remarkable, we must remember that clemency is an extraordinary remedy, granted only after the President has concluded that a particular individual has demonstrated a readiness to make use of his or her second chance,” White House Counsel Neil Eggleston wrote in a statement. |
| “Only Congress can achieve the broader reforms needed to ensure over the long run that our criminal justice system operates more fairly and effectively in the service of public safety. | “Only Congress can achieve the broader reforms needed to ensure over the long run that our criminal justice system operates more fairly and effectively in the service of public safety. |
| The American Civil Liberties Union has pressured the current presidential administration to commute Manning’s sentence. Additionally, a recent White House petition called on Mr Obama to commute Manning’s sentence has reached well over 100,000 signatures. | The American Civil Liberties Union has pressured the current presidential administration to commute Manning’s sentence. Additionally, a recent White House petition called on Mr Obama to commute Manning’s sentence has reached well over 100,000 signatures. |
| Just last week, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange agreed to be extradited to the United States if President Obama commuted Manning’s sentence. | |
| “If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ case,” he said. | |
| The website did not address this statement but nonetheless claimed a "victory" on Twitter. | |
| House Speaker Paul Ryan condemned the president's decision to commute Manning’s sentence. | |
| “This is just outrageous. Chelsea Manning’s treachery put American lives at risk and exposed some of our nation’s most sensitive secrets,” he said in a statement. “President Obama now leaves in place a dangerous precedent that those who compromise our national security won’t be held accountable for their crimes.” |