Supporters Urge Obama to Commute Manning's Sentence

Time is running out for President Barack Obama to act on a petition to commute the sentence of convicted whistleblower Chelsea Manning. Her supporters gathered in the East Bay last weekend to celebrate her birthday and to publicize their request.

Manning, 29, was convicted under the Espionage Act for releasing classified documents to WikiLeaks while working as an Army intelligence analyst in Iraq. After her court-martial in 2013, she announced that she is a transgender woman.

She was sentenced to 35 years in prison at Ft. Leavenworth, a men's facility in Kansas.

Manning's supporters posted a petition through the White House's "We the People" program on www.whitehouse.gov last month and quickly surpassed the minimum 100,000 signatures to necessitate a response. So far, the White House has not commented.

Obama issued commutations Monday, December 19 for 153 people who have committed federal crimes, but Manning's name was not among them. Her supporters say that the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is unlikely to take such action, and they're hoping Obama will do so before he leaves office next month.

The petition does not ask Obama to pardon Manning.

The Chelsea Manning Support Network, Queer Strike, and Pay Day Men's Network organized a series of birthday parties in cities around the world last weekend. In Oakland, the group met Saturday, December 17 at Omni Commons in the Temescal neighborhood.

"It's a time of year to remember Chelsea Manning and send her cards and other signs of support," said Lori Nairne, a lesbian who organizes with Queer Strike.

According to the petition, Manning has already served more time in prison "than any individual in United States history who disclosed information in the public interest."

"Her disclosures harmed no one," the petition states.

The petition also discusses Manning's life in prison, noting that she has attempted to kill herself.

"Chelsea is a woman in a men's facility facing ongoing mistreatment," the petition to the president states. "She has attempted suicide and has been punished with additional time in solitary confinement for her desperation. Her life is at risk and you can save her."

Nairne noted that the birthday events have been going on for a few years.

"Queer Strike first put this event together the year after Chelsea Manning wasn't selected as grand marshal for Pride," said Nairne, referring to the dust up in 2013 when the board that oversees San Francisco Pride first named Manning a community grand marshal and then rescinded the honor.

"What she did heightened the actions of international grassroots movements in many countries," Nairne said. "But LGBT groups were slow to respond. We initially tried unsuccessfully to get big LGBT organizations to join her support network."

Manning was selected as an honorary grand marshal in 2014, with Daniel Ellsberg, famous for leaking the Pentagon Papers, filling in for her in the Pride parade. Shakeups in the Pride board composition and a new executive director also took place.

The support network is now in transition, with a new organization coming in February that will be directly under Manning's leadership. Queer Strike has been a part of the support network and is ready to act to support Manning however she would like.

"Whenever there's been a call from the support network we mobilize and let everyone know what's going on. Chelsea won the right to have gender reassignment surgery, but it will only be implemented with sustained pressure," said Nairne.

Manning's five-day hunger strike in September convinced the Army to allow her the surgery. It was seen as a watershed moment for transgender prisoners across the country.

Manning's two suicide attempts have complicated her legal team's efforts. The act of attempting suicide will result in new charges, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which is part of her legal team. This could include further solitary confinement and refusal of any access to phones or libraries.

While the government recognizes Manning is a transgender woman, she is still required to adhere to the grooming standards of the men's military prison, which include hair length.

"She has repeatedly been punished for trying to survive and now is being repeatedly punished for trying to die," Chase Strangio, one of her lawyers with the ACLU, wrote in an email to the Associated Press last month, after news reports emerged of Manning's second suicide attempt.