Chelsea Manning: Being Bankrupted On Her Birthday

Today, whistleblower, Chelsea Manning turns 32, in jail. She is being fined $1000 a day and will owe $440,000 by October 2020, for refusing to testify against Julian Assange, who published documents she leaked.

Punished for revealing evidence of U.S war crimes in the Afghan War Diary and Iraqi War Logs, Chelsea Manning was jailed 30 July 2013. Her 35 year sentence was commuted by President Obama in May 2010. She was released then re-jailed on 8th March 2019 for refusing to testify against Julian Assange.

An Information Review Task Force by the Pentagon subsequently confirmed that they had uncovered no specific examples of anyone who had lost his or her life in reprisals, that followed the publication of the disclosures on the internet.

Alex Hills of Candles4Assange said, "Whether you believe Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange are political prisoners, or criminals for revealing state secrets, the original crimes remain unaddressed. Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning have sacrificed their lives to reveal these crimes against humanity and the only ones in jail are them."

"We shall be waiting to see if the New Zealand governments' delayed revision of the Whistleblower Act is going to be strong enough to stop the gagging, smearing, bankrupting, jailing and torture for these brave and vulnerable whistleblowers."

Chelsea Manning’s fate is tied to that of political prisoner, Julian Assange, who is fighting extradition to the U.S. for a trial about these leaks. Like Daniel Elsberg, who released the Pentagon Papers, thereby hastening the end of the Vietnam War as well as the Nixon administration, Assange will be tried under the 1917 Espionage Act and faces 175 years in prison or the death penalty..

Assange’s next hearing dates are Thursday 19th and Friday 20th of December 2019 at Westminster Magistrates Court London. Free Assange NZ and “Candles4Assange” are holding a candlelight vigil in Midland Park, Lambton Quay Wellington 730pm this Friday during busy Christmas shopping, sharing cake and information pamphlets about Manning and Assange.
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Release by activist collective:
NZ-based: Free Assange NZ 1k+ Candles4Assange 1k
along with support from global groups: Unity4J 13k+ / Operation Free Assange 1.4k+ / Action4Assange 3k

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