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ACLU: Chelsea Manning faces indefinite solitary confinement, no parole after suicide attempt

By Amy R. Connolly
Chelsea Manning, formerly known as U.S. Army Private Bradley Manning, is facing indefinite solitary confinement and a move into a maximum-security prison after a July 5 suicide attempt, the American Civil Liberties Union said. Manning, a transgender woman who was convicted of sending classified documents to WikiLeaks, is under investigation for resisting the force cell move team, prohibited property and conduct which threatens, the ACLU said. Photo from U.S. Army
Chelsea Manning, formerly known as U.S. Army Private Bradley Manning, is facing indefinite solitary confinement and a move into a maximum-security prison after a July 5 suicide attempt, the American Civil Liberties Union said. Manning, a transgender woman who was convicted of sending classified documents to WikiLeaks, is under investigation for resisting the force cell move team, prohibited property and conduct which threatens, the ACLU said. Photo from U.S. Army

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan., July 29 (UPI) -- U.S. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning may face indefinite solitary confinement and a move into a maximum-security prison after a suicide attempt earlier this month, the American Civil Liberties Union said.

Manning, a transgender woman whose name was Bradley Manning when he was convicted of sending classified documents to WikiLeaks, is under investigation for resisting the force cell move team, prohibited property and conduct which threatens, the ACLU said. She is also facing an additional nine years in medium custody and the chance of no parole. She was treated after her suicide attempt and returned to prison.

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The ACLU said Manning is being denied "access to basic healthcare," including adequate medical treatment after her suicide attempt. Since being taking into custody in 2010, Manning, who is housed in an all-male U.S. Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., has been "subjected to long stretches of solitary confinement and denied medical treatment related to her gender dysphoria," the ACLU said.

"Now, while Chelsea is suffering the darkest depression she has experienced since her arrest, the government is taking actions to punish her for that pain. It is unconscionable and we hope that the investigation is immediately ended and that she is given the healthcare that she needs to recover," ACLU Staff Attorney Chase Strangio said.

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Manning, 28, was an Army intelligence analyst when he sent some 750,000 classified and sensitive documents, including videos of U.S.-led airstrikes in Baghdad, Afghanistan war logs and Guantanamo Bay files, to WikiLeaks. After being sentenced in August 2013, Manning said he wanted to be known as Chelsea.

Her attorney said she is being treated more harshly than any other whistleblower in U.S. history.

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