Chelsea Manning

Chelsea Manning: A Whistleblower's Story

The Imprisoned Leaker

Chelsea Manning, born Bradley Edward Manning, is an American activist and whistleblower who has spent years in prison for providing classified documents to WikiLeaks. She has been praised by some for her courage in exposing government secrets, while others have condemned her actions as treasonous.

The Largest Leak of Confidential Documents

In 2010, Manning, then serving as an intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army, provided WikiLeaks with hundreds of thousands of classified documents. These documents included diplomatic cables, military reports, and video footage, many of which exposed U.S. war crimes and human rights abuses. The leak was the largest of its kind in history and caused a major embarrassment for the U.S. government.

### Imprisonment and Release

Manning was arrested in Iraq in 2010 and subsequently charged with espionage and other offenses. In 2013, she was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison. In 2017, however, President Obama commuted her sentence, and she was released in 2017.

Since her release, Manning has become an outspoken advocate for whistleblowers and freedom of information. She has spoken at numerous events and has written extensively about her experiences.