Whistleblower Chelsea Manning Hospitalized After Attempted Suicide

WASHINGTON, DC. (THECOUNT) — Whistleblower Chelsea Manning has been hospitalized after attempting suicide on Wednesday, her legal team said in a news release.

The activist’s lawyers announced on Wednesday that Manning was in the hospital and was recovering from the suicide attempt.

The statement came only a few days before Manning was scheduled to appear at a court hearing on whether to continue sanctions imposed on her after refusing to comply with a grand jury investigation into Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks. Manning came to national attention after leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks and being court-martialed for violating the Espionage Act, reports NBCNews.

Manning has claimed that the grand jury investigation was possible fodder for abuse, writing in 2019 that it was “an effort to frighten journalists and publishers, who serve a crucial public good.”

Manning has been jailed for contempt of the investigation for months. She had previously been held in a military prison from 2010 to 2017, until her sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama.

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