Transgender US Army “whistleblower” (or traitor, depending on whom you ask) Chelsea Manning was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday after attempting suicide in his high-security prison cell at the US Military Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
The 28 year-old’s failed suicide attempt was first reported by CNN.
Chelsea Manning suspected of attempting suicide. Was taken to a hospital Tuesday from Fort Leavenworth, CNN.
— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) July 6, 2016
Manning is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence for leaking classified information about the US military. “While a soldier in the Army, she illegally turned over 750,000 classified and unclassified documents to Wikileaks, including shocking videos of American-led airstrikes in Baghdad, Iraq, Afghanistan war logs, Diplomatic cables and Guantanamo Bay files,” reports The New York Post. The leaked information was subsequently published for public consumption on WikiLeaks.
The former soldier’s sentence for leaking classified information is the most severe punishment for a violator of the US Espionage Act in recent history. “(N)o whistleblower in American history has been sentenced this harshly,” stated Manning’s attorneys at an appeals hearing earlier this year.
Chelsea Manning is a biological male. He was born Bradley Manning, but in 2013 he demanded to be officially recognized as a woman. “As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me,” he declared at the time.
Manning contends that he has felt this way since childhood, but there’s no clear independent evidence to corroborate his claims.
For the first time in legal history, the US Army determined last year that taxpayer dollars should be used to help Manning “transition” to a female, rendering hormone therapy “medically appropriate and necessary.” Manning has been receiving hormone injections in jail ever since.
“I am Chelsea Manning. I am a 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,” Manning said in 2013.
