SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
The White House has so far remained silent on Chelsea Manning's case. (Photo: That Debt Chick/Twitter)
Chelsea Manning on Obama's "Short List" for Commutation, DOJ Source Says
'President Obama has nine days to do the right thing and commute her sentence'
Jan 11, 2017
Whistleblower Chelsea Manning is on President Barack Obama's "short list" for a potential commutation, a Department of Justice source told NBC News, which adds that the president's decision could be announced as early as Wednesday.
"She has suffered enough. President Obama should act now to right this wrong before it's too late."
--Evan Greer,
Fight for the FutureManning, who is serving a 35-year sentence for leaking evidence of military crimes, has faced solitary confinement for attempting twice to take her own life in the past year.
Human rights and LGBTQ advocates have harshly condemned the U.S. military for denying Manning, who is transgender, appropriate healthcare.
And the whistleblower, whose leaks exposed evidence of war crimes, has already served more time in prison than any other whistleblower in U.S. history.
Moreover, despite many letters and hundreds of thousands of signatures on multiple petitions asking Obama to pardon Manning before president-elect Donald Trump begins his right-wing administration on January 20, the White House has remained silent on Manning's case.
Chase Strangio, Manning's attorney, said Wednesday: "The Obama administration has done many commendable things to protect the rights of LGBTQ people, but in the case of Chelsea Manning they have systematically mistreated her and denied her access to medically recommended gender-related healthcare. Chelsea won't survive another five years in prison, much less another 30."
"President Obama has nine days to do the right thing and commute her sentence," Strangio continued. "The world is watching, and we hope that he stands on the side of justice, and that his legacy will be one of standing up for trans people's rights, not having extinguished one of our community's brightest lights."
"Chelsea Manning is a compassionate, thoughtful, brilliant human being whose actions have always been motivated by the same thing: her desire to help people and make the world a better place," added Fight for the Future's Evan Greer. "She has suffered enough. President Obama should act now to right this wrong before it's too late."
Manning's aunt, Deborah Manning, told NBC News: "I have more hope right now than I have the entire time since she was sentenced."
"I do think it's the last hope for a while," she added.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Whistleblower Chelsea Manning is on President Barack Obama's "short list" for a potential commutation, a Department of Justice source told NBC News, which adds that the president's decision could be announced as early as Wednesday.
"She has suffered enough. President Obama should act now to right this wrong before it's too late."
--Evan Greer,
Fight for the FutureManning, who is serving a 35-year sentence for leaking evidence of military crimes, has faced solitary confinement for attempting twice to take her own life in the past year.
Human rights and LGBTQ advocates have harshly condemned the U.S. military for denying Manning, who is transgender, appropriate healthcare.
And the whistleblower, whose leaks exposed evidence of war crimes, has already served more time in prison than any other whistleblower in U.S. history.
Moreover, despite many letters and hundreds of thousands of signatures on multiple petitions asking Obama to pardon Manning before president-elect Donald Trump begins his right-wing administration on January 20, the White House has remained silent on Manning's case.
Chase Strangio, Manning's attorney, said Wednesday: "The Obama administration has done many commendable things to protect the rights of LGBTQ people, but in the case of Chelsea Manning they have systematically mistreated her and denied her access to medically recommended gender-related healthcare. Chelsea won't survive another five years in prison, much less another 30."
"President Obama has nine days to do the right thing and commute her sentence," Strangio continued. "The world is watching, and we hope that he stands on the side of justice, and that his legacy will be one of standing up for trans people's rights, not having extinguished one of our community's brightest lights."
"Chelsea Manning is a compassionate, thoughtful, brilliant human being whose actions have always been motivated by the same thing: her desire to help people and make the world a better place," added Fight for the Future's Evan Greer. "She has suffered enough. President Obama should act now to right this wrong before it's too late."
Manning's aunt, Deborah Manning, told NBC News: "I have more hope right now than I have the entire time since she was sentenced."
"I do think it's the last hope for a while," she added.
Whistleblower Chelsea Manning is on President Barack Obama's "short list" for a potential commutation, a Department of Justice source told NBC News, which adds that the president's decision could be announced as early as Wednesday.
"She has suffered enough. President Obama should act now to right this wrong before it's too late."
--Evan Greer,
Fight for the FutureManning, who is serving a 35-year sentence for leaking evidence of military crimes, has faced solitary confinement for attempting twice to take her own life in the past year.
Human rights and LGBTQ advocates have harshly condemned the U.S. military for denying Manning, who is transgender, appropriate healthcare.
And the whistleblower, whose leaks exposed evidence of war crimes, has already served more time in prison than any other whistleblower in U.S. history.
Moreover, despite many letters and hundreds of thousands of signatures on multiple petitions asking Obama to pardon Manning before president-elect Donald Trump begins his right-wing administration on January 20, the White House has remained silent on Manning's case.
Chase Strangio, Manning's attorney, said Wednesday: "The Obama administration has done many commendable things to protect the rights of LGBTQ people, but in the case of Chelsea Manning they have systematically mistreated her and denied her access to medically recommended gender-related healthcare. Chelsea won't survive another five years in prison, much less another 30."
"President Obama has nine days to do the right thing and commute her sentence," Strangio continued. "The world is watching, and we hope that he stands on the side of justice, and that his legacy will be one of standing up for trans people's rights, not having extinguished one of our community's brightest lights."
"Chelsea Manning is a compassionate, thoughtful, brilliant human being whose actions have always been motivated by the same thing: her desire to help people and make the world a better place," added Fight for the Future's Evan Greer. "She has suffered enough. President Obama should act now to right this wrong before it's too late."
Manning's aunt, Deborah Manning, told NBC News: "I have more hope right now than I have the entire time since she was sentenced."
"I do think it's the last hope for a while," she added.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.