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Chelsea Manning Tries to Kill Herself in Jail, Lawyers Say Chelsea Manning Tries to Kill Herself in Jail, Lawyers Say
(about 1 hour later)
Chelsea Manning, the former Army intelligence analyst who was jailed last year for refusing to testify before a grand jury that is investigating WikiLeaks, has been hospitalized after she attempted suicide on Wednesday, according to her lawyers.Chelsea Manning, the former Army intelligence analyst who was jailed last year for refusing to testify before a grand jury that is investigating WikiLeaks, has been hospitalized after she attempted suicide on Wednesday, according to her lawyers.
Ms. Manning is currently recovering, a statement from her legal team said. Ms. Manning, 32, is currently recovering, according to her lawyers, who did not say how Ms. Manning tried to kill herself while at a detention center in Alexandria, Va., where she has been held since May.
The statement said Ms. Manning was still scheduled to appear on Friday at a hearing before Judge Anthony Trenga of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. At the hearing, the judge is expected to rule on whether to end the civil contempt sanctions imposed on Ms. Manning in May, when she was jailed for refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating the publication of thousands of American military and diplomatic files that she had provided to WikiLeaks in 2010. The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office confirmed only that there was “an incident” involving Ms. Manning at 12:11 p.m. and said, “It was handled appropriately by our professional staff and Ms. Manning is safe.”
Ms. Manning has been in custody at a detention center in Alexandria, Va., since last May, after she was served with a subpoena to appear before a grand jury investigating the organization, which publishes government secrets online. A statement from Ms. Manning’s legal team said she was still scheduled to appear on Friday at a hearing before Judge Anthony Trenga of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
At the hearing, the judge is expected to rule on whether to end the civil contempt sanctions imposed on Ms. Manning after she refused to testify before a grand jury investigating the publication of thousands of American military and diplomatic files that she had provided to WikiLeaks in 2010.
Ms. Manning was also detained for two months starting in March 2019 for refusing to testify, then briefly released when that grand jury’s term ended — taking advantage of the window to announce that she had a book deal that she said would focus on her personal life. But prosecutors subpoenaed her again for testimony before a new grand jury, and she again refused to testify and was locked up again.
“In spite of those sanctions — which have so far included over a year of so-called ‘coercive’ incarceration and nearly half a million dollars in threatened fines — she remains unwavering in her refusal to participate in a secret grand jury process that she sees as highly susceptible to abuse,” said the statement from Ms. Manning’s legal team.“In spite of those sanctions — which have so far included over a year of so-called ‘coercive’ incarceration and nearly half a million dollars in threatened fines — she remains unwavering in her refusal to participate in a secret grand jury process that she sees as highly susceptible to abuse,” said the statement from Ms. Manning’s legal team.
“Ms. Manning has previously indicated that she will not betray her principles, even at risk of grave harm to herself,” the statement said.“Ms. Manning has previously indicated that she will not betray her principles, even at risk of grave harm to herself,” the statement said.
Ms. Manning has attempted suicide at least two previous times while imprisoned — once in 2016 during a week of solitary confinement at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., which was itself a punishment for an earlier attempt to end her life that year. Joshua Stueve, a spokesman for the office of the United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, declined to comment.
“Her actions today evidence the strength of her convictions, as well as the profound harm she continues to suffer as a result of her ‘civil’ confinement” the statement from Ms. Manning’s lawyers said. A federal prosecutor had previously said that the Justice Department did not want to have Ms. Manning detained, but she had a legal obligation to testify before a grand jury when subpoenaed.
In a letter last year to Judge Trenga, Ms. Manning described the grand jury investigation as “an effort to frighten journalists and publishers, who serve a crucial public good.” Ms. Manning has attempted suicide at least two previous times, both in 2016 — once while in solitary confinement at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., which was itself a punishment for an earlier attempt to end her life that year.
“Her actions today evidence the strength of her convictions, as well as the profound harm she continues to suffer as a result of her ‘civil’ confinement,” Ms. Manning’s lawyers said in their statement on Wednesday.
The grand jury investigation is part of a long-running inquiry into WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange, that dates to the Obama administration and which the Trump administration revived.
Ms. Manning has said that when she appeared before the grand jury, prosecutors asked her a series of questions about WikiLeaks, but she had responded to every question by saying it violated her constitutional rights.
Although prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia granted immunity for her testimony, Ms. Manning had vowed not to cooperate in the investigation, saying she had ethical objections. A federal judge ruled that she must stay in civil detention until she testified.
In a letter last year to Judge Trenga, Ms. Manning described the investigation as “an effort to frighten journalists and publishers, who serve a crucial public good.”
Before her current incarceration, Ms. Manning served seven years in a military prison, including 11 months of solitary confinement, the statement said.Before her current incarceration, Ms. Manning served seven years in a military prison, including 11 months of solitary confinement, the statement said.
She was originally convicted in 2013 of providing more than 700,000 government files to WikiLeaks, exposing sensitive American military and diplomatic affairs around the world. She was originally convicted in 2013 of providing more than 700,000 government files to WikiLeaks, exposing American military and diplomatic affairs around the world.
President Barack Obama intervened in her case in 2017, commuting all but four months of her 35-year sentence. Former President Barack Obama intervened in her case in 2017, commuting all but four months of her 35-year sentence.
During Ms. Manning’s trial in 2013, testimony showed that she had been deteriorating, mentally and emotionally, during the period when she downloaded the documents and sent them to WikiLeaks. Then known as Pfc. Bradley Manning, she was struggling with gender dysphoria under conditions of extraordinary stress and isolation while deployed to the Iraq war zone.During Ms. Manning’s trial in 2013, testimony showed that she had been deteriorating, mentally and emotionally, during the period when she downloaded the documents and sent them to WikiLeaks. Then known as Pfc. Bradley Manning, she was struggling with gender dysphoria under conditions of extraordinary stress and isolation while deployed to the Iraq war zone.
John Ismay, Charlie Savage and Sandra E. Garcia contributed reporting. Last year, the Justice Department unsealed criminal charges against Mr. Assange, who had been holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London but was arrested. Prosecutors initially charged him with a narrow hacking conspiracy offense, for purportedly agreeing to try to help Ms. Manning crack a password that would have let her log onto a military computer system under a different user name, and cover her tracks.
But prosecutors later drastically expanded the case against Mr. Assange by bringing charges against him under the Espionage Act for soliciting, receiving and publishing classified information — an unprecedented effort to deem such journalistic activities (a separate issue from the debate over whether Mr. Assange himself counts as a journalist) as crimes that raises novel First Amendment issues. Mr. Assange has been fighting extradition in a London court.
The criminal case against Mr. Assange does not involve his later actions in publishing Democratic emails, stolen by Russian hackers, during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Sandra E. Garcia and John Ismay contributed reporting.