U.S. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning was released from jail Thursday after being held for 62 days — including a month in solitary confinement — for refusing to testify before a secret grand jury, but she could be imprisoned again as soon as next week if she refuses to comply with a second subpoena to appear before a different grand jury.
Manning’s release came after the expiration of the term of the grand jury. According to Manning’s legal team, the whistleblower was served with another subpoena prior to her release on Thursday.
“This means she is expected to appear before a different grand jury, on Thursday, May 16, 2019, just one week from her release today,” Manning’s lawyers said in a statement. “It is therefore conceivable that she will once again be held in contempt of court, and be returned to the custody of the Alexandria Detention Center, possibly as soon as next Thursday, May 16.”
Manning’s legal team said she will continue to refuse to cooperate with a process that she has called an effort to “entrap and persecute activists for protected political speech.”
“Chelsea will continue to refuse to answer questions, and will use every available legal defense to prove to District Judge Trenga that she has just cause for her refusal to give testimony,” said Manning’s lawyers.
** Feds released Chelsea a few hours ago after Grand Jury expired – @EDVAnews prosecutors subpoenaed her to appear a 2nd time for a different grand jury – but for same questions – on May 16th – official statement from her pending https://t.co/BkXDxnrLmZ
— Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) May 10, 2019
Indeed, she’s already been subpoenaed to appear in court May 16th. There’s hardly any reason to think it will go differently.
So far, she’s done 62 days in jail on this matter. She may have just over a week of freedom before doing it all over again.https://t.co/4L0VjsDewA
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) May 10, 2019
Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 for leaking classified U.S. government documents to WikiLeaks. Former President Barack Obama commuted Manning’s sentence in 2017.
Attempts to compel Manning to testify before a secret grand jury come as WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange is fighting attempts to extradite him to the United States after he was forcibly expelled from the Ecuadorian embassy in London last month and arrested by U.K. authorities.
Advocacy groups and legal experts warned that efforts by the U.S. government to extradite and prosecute Assange pose a grave threat to freedom of the press.
“Prosecutors appear to be pressing for Manning’s testimony in order to bolster their case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange,” Politico reported last month.
But Manning has remained firm in her refusal to testify.
“I don’t have anything to contribute to this, or any other grand jury,” Manning said in a statement last month. “While I miss home, they can continue to hold me in jail, with all the harmful consequences that brings. I will not give up.”
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