After a four-hour disciplinary board hearing at Ft. Leavenworth, Chelsea Manning has been punished with two weeks of solitary confinement for attempting to take her own life. One week is a ‘suspended’ sentence, meaning she’ll only serve it if military authorities seek to punish her again in the next six months.
Responding to the verdict, Manning wrote,
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.
Chelsea was acquitted of “Resisting The Force Cell Move Team”, but she was convicted of “Conduct Which Threatens”, for attempting to commit suicide, and a count of “Prohibited Property”, which, she explains, was for an unmarked copy of “Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy,” by Gabriella Coleman. The charges carried a potential sentence of indefinite solitary confinement.
Chelsea attempted to take her own life in July. Prison officials divulged that information to the press but refused to allow Chelsea’s lawyers to see or speak to her. When she was finally released from the hospital, her legal team issued a statement confirming her status.
When the prison still refused to provide her with proper medical care for gender dysphoria, Chelsea then commenced a hunger strike, vowing to refuse food until she was treated adequately. She said her pleas for basic help were “ignored, delayed, mocked, given trinkets and lip service by the prison, the military, and this administration.” Prison officials finally, after five days without food, showed Chelsea a form approving her gender confirmation surgery, and Chelsea ended the strike.
Chelsea Manning should be cared for, not punished, following her attempt on her life. She deserves medical treatment for gender dysphoria, a condition that if untreated leads to depression, not solitary confinement, which has shown to exacerbate depression and which constitutes psychological torture.
In May, Chelsea wrote that solitary confinement is “no touch torture”, and she recounted her harrowing experience after her 2010 arrest. In 2013, a military judge awarded Manning with 112 days off of her sentence for improper treatment.
You can support Chelsea Manning by writing her a letter, signing a petition for her clemency, or donating to her defense fund.