Do you think that Chelsea Manning's Sentence should be commuted?
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EDIT: Thank you to everyone who signed the petition! I just wanted to revive the thread since Obama decided to commute her today, so she will be released in May of this year! If you signed the petition, then you helped save Chelsea's life and grant her freedom, so thank you! :)
Below is the original thread, which I might add some giveaways to later to celebrate.
We reached the goal; thank you to everyone who signed!
If you haven't signed yet, you can sign here:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/commute-chelsea-mannings-sentence-time-served-1
For those who are interested, you can write to Chelsea using the information here: https://www.chelseamanning.org/learn-more/write-to-chelsea-manning (it's her birthday on the 17, just like Mega Man)
In case you don't know, Chelsea Manning is the military leaker who, before Snowden, released:
the Collateral Murder video that exposed the killing of unarmed civilians and two Reuters journalists by a US Apache helicopter crew in Iraq
the Afghan War Diary that revealed uninvestigated civilian casualties and contractor abuse
the Iraq War Logs that revealed civilian casualties, and uninvestigated reports of torture
the US diplomatic cables that revealed the role that corporate interests and spying play in international diplomacy
And who, after her conviction, has been a strong advocate for transgender rights in military prison, helping to push the government to provide more medical services for transgender individuals.
She has an open petition to the whitehouse requesting that her sentence be commuted to 'time served', so that she may be released from prison. She isn't currently requesting a pardon, just a release from prison after having served 6 years, including in abusive conditions including but not limited to solitary confinement.
You can read more about the history of her case here: https://www.chelseamanning.org/learn-more/bradley-manning
Here is a summary of Chelsea's argument, taken as excerpts from her statement:
"I take full and complete responsibility for my decision to disclose these materials to the public."
"I pleaded guilty without the protection of a plea agreement because I believed the military justice system would understand my motivation for the disclosure and sentence me fairly. I was wrong: The military judge sentenced me to thirty-five years confinement — far more than I could have ever imagined possible, as there was no historical precedent for such an extreme sentence under similar facts…"
"I have since been placed in solitary confinement as a disciplinary measure for an attempted suicide despite a growing effort — led by the President of the United States — to stop the use of solitary confinement for any purpose."
"I have served a sufficiently long sentence. I am not asking for a pardon of my conviction. I understand that the various collateral consequences of the court-martial conviction will stay on my record forever. The sole relief am asking for is to be released from military prison after serving six years of confinement as a person who did not intend to harm the interests of the United States or harm any service members."
"I am merely asking for a first chance to live my life outside the USDB as the person I was born to be."
Here is Chelsea's statement requesting that her sentence be commuted:
https://medium.com/@xychelsea/mr-president-please-give-me-time-served-4b14f9e48cf5#.issxynjfc
Thanks for looking! Everyone please remain civil in discussions, etc.
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