Chelsea Manning May Face Solitary Confinement After Suicide Attempt, ACLU Says
ACLU says she is under investigation following her suicide attempt.
— -- Chelsea Manning faces charges and possible solitary confinement following her suicide attempt in prison earlier this month, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Manning, a transgender woman who formerly went by the name Bradley Manning, used to work as an intelligence analyst in Iraq and was convicted in 2013 in military court of six Espionage Act violations and 14 other offenses, according to The Associated Press. She is currently serving out her 35-year sentence at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth.
Earlier this month, Manning's attorneys confirmed to The AP that she had attempted suicide and was subsequently hospitalized.
The ACLU said yesterday that Manning now potentially faces "administrative offenses" for the suicide attempt. If convicted, she could face solitary confinement for the remainder of her sentence, according to the ACLU. The ACLU also included a charge sheet that Manning was allegedly given, notifying her that she was under investigation.
“It is deeply troubling that Chelsea is now being subjected to an investigation and possible punishment for her attempt to take her life. The government has long been aware of Chelsea's distress associated with the denial of medical care related to her gender transition and yet delayed and denied the treatment recognized as necessary,” ACLU Staff Attorney Chase Strangio said in a statement.
“Now, while Chelsea is suffering the darkest depression she has experienced since her arrest, the government is taking actions to punish her for that pain. It is unconscionable and we hope that the investigation is immediately ended and that she is given the health care that she needs to recover.”
The U.S. Army's military relations department told ABC News that it is "looking into" the ACLU's allegations.