Prison punishes Chelsea with 14 days of solitary for suicide attempt
For Immediate Release: September 23, 2016 BREAKING: Prison disciplinary board decides to punish Chelsea Manning with solitary confinement for charges related to suicide attempt LEAVENWORTH, KS––A prison disciplinary board has decided to punish imprisoned transparency advocate Chelsea Manning with 14 days of solitary confinement (with 7 days suspended) for charges directly related to her suicide attempt in July, and possession of an unmarked book in her cell. The decision is the latest example of the U.S. government’s campaign of harassment and mistreatment of Chelsea, who has been incarcerated in all male military facilities for 6 years. See a detailed summary of the charges Chelsea faced here. Chelsea Manning released the following statement to supporters: “My three member disciplinary board took place today. I presented evidence and was allowed to question witnesses through the board president. The hearing lasted four hours. There was a break for lunch. I waited nervously for the board to vote. I received the decision after 30 minutes. I was acquitted of the “Resisting The Force Cell Move Team” charge. I was found guilty of the “Conduct Which Threatens” charge. This charge was for the suicide attempt. I was found guilty of the “Prohibited Property” charge, which was for an unmarked copy of “Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy,” by Gabriella Coleman. My punishment is 14 days in solitary confinement. 7 of those days are “suspended.” If I get in trouble in the next six months, those seven days will come back. The term for this status is “disciplinary segregation.” There is no set date set for this to start. After I receive the formal board results in writing, I have 15 days to appeal. I expect to get them in the next few days. I am feeling hurt. I am feeling lonely. I am embarrassed by the decision. I don’t know how to explain it. I am touched by your warm messages of love and support. This comforts me in my time of need.” Last week, following a 5-day hunger strike and a flurry of public protest, the government finally agreed to provide Chelsea with some of the health care that she needs. Despite the good news related to medical treatment, Chelsea will now be punished with solitary confinement, which the United Nations hascondemned as a form of torture. The July incident where Chelsea attempted to take her own life followed years of the government systematically denying her access to medically recommended treatment for gender dysphoria, andprevious threats of solitary confinement following minor prison “infractions,” including possession of mislabeled general research materials that Chelsea used for article writing and an expired tube of toothpaste. After she receives written notification of her solitary confinement sentence, Chelsea has 15 days to appeal the disciplinary board’s decision. Fight for the Future, a digital rights group that has been supporting Chelsea, is encouraging all supporters of human rights to sign the petition at FreeChelsea.com calling for the U.S. government to drop these unjust charges. Celebrities including Michael Stipe of REM, Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, have uploaded videos speaking out on Chelsea’s behalf and asking fans to sign the petition. The group plans to keep supporters updated on Chelsea’s situation, and ways to take action to support her. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chelsea ends hunger
strike after Army cooperates Evan Greer, Fight for the Future, 978-852-6457, press@fightforthefuture.org
Supporters, including REM’s Michael Stipe and Daniel Ellsberg, launch new campaign at FreeChelsea.com demanding U.S. government drop charges stemming from suicide attempt LEAVENWORTH, KS––Chelsea Manning has ended a hunger strike that she began five days ago, after the U.S. military has agreed to move forward with the recommended treatment for her gender dysphoria. However, the Army is continuing to threaten Chelsea with solitary confinement for charges directly related to her attempt to take her own life, even though it was the government’s own mistreatment of Chelsea that drove her to it. Supporters have launched a new effort at FreeChelsea.com calling for the charges to be dropped. The site features a petition to the Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning as well as videos uploaded by supporters including Michael Stipe of R.E.M. and Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. Chelsea alerted attorneys and supporters that she was ending the hunger strike after government officials showed her a memo stating that she will receive gender-reassignment surgery, under the DOD’s new policy affecting transgender service members. If this occurs, Manning will be the first transgender prisoner in the U.S. to receive this medically recommended treatment, setting a precedent that could benefit thousands of transgender prisoner. “I am unendingly relieved that the military is finally doing the right thing. I applaud them for that. This is all that I wanted – for them to let me be me,” said Chelsea Manning in a statement to her attorneys. “But it is hard not to wonder why it has taken so long. Also, why were such drastic measures needed? The surgery was recommended back in April 2016. The recommendations for my hair length were back in 2014. In any case, I hope this sets a precedent for the thousands of trans people behind me hoping they will be given the treatment they need.” “It is a relief to hear that the government has finally agreed to move forward with providing Chelsea with the health care that she is legally entitled to and is medically needed. We hope that they will act to provide this care without delay in order to ensure that her suffering does not continue,” said Chase Strangio, Chelsea’s attorney at the ACLU, “This medical care is absolutely vital for Chelsea. It was the government’s refusal to provide her with the necessary care that led her to attempt suicide earlier this year, and it was all the more troubling when she became subject to an investigation and possible punishment in connection with the suicide attempt. We hope that the government recognizes that charging Chelsea with the crime of being denied essential health care is outrageous and drops those charges.” “Hundreds of thousands of people spoke out in support of Chelsea, and now the government is finally agreeing to provide her with the healthcare treatment that she needs,” said Evan Greer, campaign director of Fight for the Future, the digital rights group behind FreeChelsea.com that has supported Chelsea over the last year, “but now that the Army is acknowledging Chelsea deserves this treatment, it’s even more outrageous that they’re still threatening her with solitary confinement for charges related to her own suicide attempt. It was the government’s refusal to grant Chelsea access to needed health care that led to her suicide attempt in the first place.” Chelsea’s supporters plan to release more videos to raise awareness about the petition at FreeChelsea.com in the coming days.
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