Chelsea Manning’s Prison Sentence Commuted by Obama
In one of his last moves in office, President Obama has commuted the 35-year prison sentence of Chelsea Manning, the Army private who leaked a massive trove of military secrets to WikiLeaks.
The former intelligence analyst’s prison sentence has been shortened to expire on May 17, 2017, according to a statement from the White House.
This commutation was issued along with 208 others, including one for Oscar Lopez-Rivera, who was part of a militant group that fought for Puerto Rican independence. Obama also pardoned 64 individuals, including retired Gen. James Cartwright, the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements to federal authorities.
Manning, a transgender woman formerly known as Bradley, had requested clemency from Obama and said her life was at risk in an all-male prison, as we reported. She has admitted to “releasing more than 700,000 documents, including battlefield reports and U.S. embassy cables.”
More: Chelsea Manning’s Prison Sentence Commuted By Obama : The Two-Way : NPR