China News Service, March 13. According to the BBC, on the 12th, a US judge ordered the immediate release of Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst. Earlier, Manning, who was involved in the WikiLeaks case, has been held in Virginia Detention Center since May 2019 for refusing to testify. CNN and the Wall Street Journal reported the news.
According to reports, Manning was scheduled to appear in court on 13th to hear a motion hearing to end his punishment. It is reported that Manning was previously charged with contempt of court for refusing to testify. However, the judge ruled on the 12th that Manning did not need to appear in court again and ordered the immediate release of Manning.
Before the release order was issued, its legal team stated that Manning was trying to end his life and is currently receiving treatment at the hospital. Police have also confirmed that in the afternoon of the 11th local time, Manning had an "accident" in a detention center in Virginia. "Professionals have handled the matter properly and (Manning) is safe," police said in a statement.
According to previous media reports, Manning's legal team spokesman Andy Stepanian said in a statement on the 11th that Manning "unswervingly refused to participate in a secret grand jury that she considers extremely vulnerable to abuse program."
Manning served a seven-year sentence in a military prison for leaking a large number of documents to WikiLeaks, until 2017 when U.S. President Barack Obama commuted her sentence.