US Army Will Not Allow Bradley Manning to Become a Woman

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bradley Manning announced today he wanted to live the rest of his life as a woman called Chelsea but the US Army said he could not start hormone therapy while serving his 35-year prison term.

A day after he was sentenced for handing thousands of secret files to WikiLeaks, the soldier said he wanted to live as a female and be known as "Chelsea Manning".

The 25-year-old was diagnosed with a gender identity disorder while serving in Iraq and sent his superiors an email of himself dressed as a woman with a blonde wig and make[-]up.

"As I transition into the next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me," Manning said in a statement released through his lawyer. "I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female.

"Given the way I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible."

Manning requested that his supporters refer to him as "she" and signed the statement "Chelsea E. Manning". » | Raf Sanchez, Washington | Thursday, August 22, 2013

A person's gender used to be determined by his/her genitals. It was simple, and obeyed nature. Whatever happened to that concept? – ©Mark

This comment appears here too.

Convicted WikiLeaker Manning Wants to Live as Woman

Read the Reuters article here
Related »

Bradley Manning Wants to Live as a Woman Called Chelsea

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bradley Manning, the US soldier jailed for 35 years for the largest intelligence leak in US history, has released a statement in which he says he wants to live as a woman called Chelsea.

A statement from Manning, read on NBC News's 'Today' programme, said that as he makes the "transition" into the next phase of his life, he wants "everyone to know the real me."

"I am Chelsea Manning," the statement reads. "I am female. Given the way that I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible. I hope that you will support me in this transition.

"I also request that, starting today, you refer to me by my new name and use the feminine pronoun (except in official mail to the confinement facility). I look forward to receiving letters from supporters and having the opportunity to write back." » | Chris Irvine, Raf Sanchez in Washington | Thursday, August 22, 2013

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

NBC NEWS – TODAY: 'I am Chelsea': Read Manning's full statement » | Thursday, August 22, 2013

NBC NEWS – TODAY: Bradley Manning: I want to live as a woman: Bradley Manning, the Army private sentenced to military prison for leaking classified documents, revealed he intends to live out the remainder of his life as a woman. » | Scott Stump, TODAY contributor | Thursday, August 22, 2013

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Price for Truth: 'Manning Gets Harsh Sentence While Exposed Criminals Stay Free'

Whistleblower Bradley Manning has been sentenced to 35 years behind bars. The former Army private, who leaked thousands of classified US documents to Wikileaks, will also be dishonourably discharged. Human rights activist Peter Thatchell joins RT to discuss Manning's sentence.

Manning Asks Obama for Pardon, But Ready to Pay 'Heavy Price for Free Society'

Whistleblower Bradley Manning has been sentenced to 35 years in prison. The former Army private, who leaked thousands of classified US documents to Wikileaks, will also be dishonourably discharged. Manning's attorney, now plans to call on President Barack Obama to release him. RT's producer Andrew Blake heard what the attorney David Coombs had to say.

Related »

Bradley Manning Appeals for a Pardon from Barack Obama

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hours after he was sentenced to 35 years in prison Bradley Manning made a defiant appeal for a pardon from President Barack Obama, saying he had acted "out of concern for my country and for the world that we live in".

The 25-year-old soldier released a statement through his lawyer where he compared America's war against terrorism since September 11th to McCarthyism, the slaughter of Native Americans and other "dark moments" in US history.

Manning said that after deploying to Iraq in 2010 he "realised that in our efforts to meet the risks posed to us by the enemy that we had forgotten our humanity."

"We consciously elected to devalue human life in both Iraq and Afghanistan," he added.

Manning said he regretted if his actions "hurt anyone or harmed the US" but said: "When I chose to disclose classified information I did so out of love for my country and a sense of duty to others."

His statement is to be included in pardon request that his lawyer, David Coombs, will forward to the White House. As commander-in-chief of the US military, Mr Obama has the power to pardon convicted troops. » | Raf Sanchez | Hanover, Maryland | Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Bradley Manning's Sentence: 35 Years for Exposing Us to the Truth

THE GUARDIAN: This was never a fair trial – Obama declared Manning's guilt in advance. But Manning's punishment is an affront to democracy

As of today, Wednesday 21 August 2013, Bradley Manning has served 1,182 days in prison. He should be released with a sentence of time served. Instead, the judge in his court martial at Fort Meade, Maryland has handed down a sentence of 35 years. » | Birgitta Jónsdóttir | Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Bradley Manning Sentenced to 35 Years behind Bars

A US military judge has sentenced Army Pfc. Bradley Manning to 35 years in prison. Manning faced up to 90 years behind bars, while prosecutors sought to put the whistleblower away for a minimum of six decades.

Verwandt »

US-Militärgericht: 35 Jahre Haft für WikiLeaks-Informant Bradley Manning

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Bradley Manning ist zu 35 Jahren Haft verurteilt worden. Das gab ein US-Militärgericht in Fort Meade bekannt. Der Soldat hatte Hunderttausende Geheimpapiere an die Enthüllungsplattform WikiLeaks gegeben.

Fort Meade - Der WikiLeaks-Informant Bradley Manning muss für 35 Jahre ins Gefängnis. Das Urteil gab eine US-Militärrichterin am Mittwoch in Fort Meade bei Washington bekannt. Zudem wurde er unehrenhaft aus der Armee entlassen. » | fab/dpa/Reuters | Mittwoch, 21. August 2013

"Pas moins de 60 ans de prison" requis contre Bradley Manning

LE FIGARO: Le gouvernement américain a requis aujourd'hui "pas moins de 60 ans de prison" à l'encontre de Bradley Manning, la taupe de WikiLeaks qui a rendu publics quelque 700.000 documents secrets. » | Par Le Figaro.fr avec AFP | lundi 19 août 2013

Manning Speaks: 'I Believed I Was Going to Help People, Not Hurt People'

Bradley Manning personally delivered a statement as his trial, which could see him convicted for up to 90 years in prison, nears its end. He defended leaking 700,000 US diplomatic cables as an act of conscience and apologized for the damage he caused.

103 000 signatures pour le prix Nobel de la paix à Bradley Manning

LE POINT: Pour Norman Solomon, l'un des initiateurs de la pétition, ce Nobel soulignerait l'importance des lanceurs d'alerte pour la paix et la démocratie.

Des soutiens de Bradley Manning, soldat américain jugé pour avoir transmis des documents confidentiels à WikiLeaks, ont remis lundi à l'Institut Nobel d'Oslo une pétition géante pour que le prix éponyme de la paix lui soit attribué. Selon eux, un tel prix permettrait aussi de dissiper "le nuage" qui "plane au-dessus du comité Nobel norvégien" depuis l'attribution de la prestigieuse récompense au président américain Barack Obama en 2009 alors qu'il était tout juste entré en fonction et qu'il venait de décider d'intensifier l'effort de guerre en Afghanistan.

"Personne n'a fait plus pour combattre ce que Martin Luther King Junior appelait la folie du militarisme que Bradley Manning", explique le texte qui a rassemblé plus de 103 000 signatures. "Et à présent, étant toujours en prison et faisant face aux poursuites judiciaires incessantes du gouvernement américain, personne n'a autant besoin du prix Nobel de la paix", peut-on y lire. » | Source AFP | lundi 12 août 2013

The Horrible Injustice of the Bradley Manning Verdict

"Transparency campaigners condemned the harsh sentence in prospect for Bradley Manning, but journalists and lawyers closely associated with the trial were relieved with the acquittal for the most serious charge -- that he "aided the enemy" by transmitting state secrets to WikiLeaks."*

Bradley Manning faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison for charges including espionage for whistle blowing on the U.S. military to Wikileaks. Does he deserve the steep sentence, and will be become an example of what happens when someone steps out of line? Why was his case ignored by the mainstream press? Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

The Manning Verdict: Obama's Defining Injustice

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: By using the Espionage Act to punish Bradley Manning, the Obama administration has shown how far it will go to intimidate leakers. His sentencing is a stain on the president's legacy and on America's global reputation.

It was never an issue whether Bradley Manning violated US law. Manning pleaded guilty to 10 charges at the beginning of his military trial. The maximum sentence for those charges was 20 years in prison -- an intolerable sentence, but unlikely to be the extent of his punishment.

That punishment could now be a 136-year prison sentence. Prosecutors have brought in the big guns -- and invoked the Espionage Act, which was passed in 1917 in reaction to fears of German spies and saboteurs.

It is political despotism to use this act in a trial that has to do with neither espionage nor sabotage. It means the defense can no longer argue that the defendant harmed no one, that he acted in the public interest. It deprives Manning of the only basis to justify his actions and the opportunity to avoid a guilty verdict.

This is why the appropriate reaction to this verdict would be to reverse it. It would be over[-]zealous, both from a legal and political standpoint, to pass judgment on Manning as a warning to other possible politically motivated offenders. The 25-year-old soldier, a man who is unconvincing as a heroic figure and burdened with complexes, is the most recent casualty in a hysterically prolonged "war on terror." » | A Commentary By Hans Hoyng | Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan |Monday, August 05, 2013

Free Bradley Manning »

'Snowden, Manning, Assange Victims of Morally Bankrupt System'

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has been granted temporary asylum in Russia and is allowed to enter the country's territory. Investigative journalist Tony Gosling joins RT studio to discuss this.

Inside Story: Bradley Manning: Whistleblower or Traitor?

We ask if the US soldier's espionage conviction will help defend national security or merely curb freedom of speech.

Vox Populi: New Yorkers on Manning Leaks, Abuse, Trial Verdict

MEP's from France, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Ireland, and Germany - signed a letter to President Obama and the U.S. Defence Secretary. They say that Manning 'is not a traitor"... and had the best interests of his country at heart.The lawmakers also expressed their concern over the U.S. war on whistleblowers saying it undermines democracy on both sides of the Atlantic. Manning has suffered too much, the letter says, in spending over three years behind bars - including 10 months in solitary confinement. The message is: Manning should be freed as soon as possible. And that view is shared by plenty of Americans as Marina Portnaya found out.

Cleared of Aiding the Enemy, Bradley Manning Still Faces a Lifetime in Jail. The Very Least We Owe This Heroic Man Is a Debate on US Foreign Policy

THE INDEPENDENT: Manning revealed the sordid realities of war that the armchair warriors want sanitised

Power has to be relentlessly fought. Without being constantly checked, exposed, harangued, mocked and driven back, it would swiftly devour all the rights that were won at its expense. There is invariably a cost. The powerful know that if those who chip away at their authority are not undermined, or humiliated, or even persecuted, others would be emboldened to strike blows at them, too.

And so it is with Bradley Manning. Although a military judge has found him not guilty of aiding the enemy, the guilty verdicts on other charges will leave him languishing in military custody for much, if not all, of his life: indeed, he faces a sentence of 130 years. Here is the sacrifice he has paid for exposing the secretive actions of a government that claims to act in the name of the US people.

Here's why. Over a decade ago, the US initiated two calamitous wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, with a terrible human cost that is still paid every single day. The then-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan declared that the Iraq invasion was illegal; the country is today still awash with car bombings and gruesome sectarian bloodletting. It was always in the interests of the US elite to keep the consequences of their actions as far away from public consciousness as possible. … » | Owen Jones | Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Bradley Manning: Not the Enemy

THE GUARDIAN: Manning has been found not guilty of the most dangerous charge levelled at him – 'aiding the enemy'. Even so, this trial was a shameful moment in US history

On Wednesday , Private First Class Bradley Manning was handed a verdict on charges he faced in relation to leaking classified material – after 1,160 days of pre-trial detention. His crime was to release military documents to WikiLeaks.

Contained within this material was footage of a US military helicopter gunning down a father taking his children to school; evidence of a death squad operating in Afghanistan, and files showing that rather than containing just "the worst of the worst", Guantánamo held dementia patients, taxi drivers and prisoners of the Taliban.

Millions worldwide regard Manning as a hero, but he was always going to face prosecution for his actions. Not pursuing him would have been politically untenable given the national security climate in the US. Military leaders would have feared the repercussions of allowing a soldier to get away with such a large-scale leak.

But the Obama administration didn't merely go through the motions in pursuit of Manning. Military authorities imposed a charge that should have sparked far greater alarm than it did. They argued that by talking to the media, Manning had "aided the enemy" – a charge tantamount to treason, which can carry the death penalty (though this was not pursued in Manning's case). » | James Ball | Tuesday, July 30, 2013

WikiLeaks On Manning Verdict: Glad Journalism Is Not Treason, No Term Will Stop Whistleblowers

A US military judge has found Army private Bradley Manning "not guilty" of aiding the enemy. However, he was found guilty of 19 remaining charges, meaning that he still faces the possibility of up to 136 years behind bars. RT talks to Wikileaks spokesperson Kristinn Hrafnsson on the verdict and its outcome.