Chelsea Manning: Whistleblower and Activist

Early Life and Military Service

Chelsea Elizabeth Manning (born Bradley Edward Manning on December 17, 1987) is an American activist and whistleblower. She is a former United States Army intelligence analyst who provided the website WikiLeaks with hundreds of thousands of military and diplomatic records in 2010.

Manning was born in Crescent, Oklahoma, and grew up in Maryland. She joined the Army in 2009 and was deployed to Iraq in 2010.

Leaking Classified Information

While in Iraq, Manning had access to a large number of classified documents. She became increasingly disillusioned with the war and the American government's actions. In 2010, she leaked hundreds of thousands of these documents to WikiLeaks, including the "Iraq War Logs" and the "Afghan War Diary."

The leaks caused an international scandal and led to the resignation of several high-ranking American officials. Manning was arrested and charged with espionage and other crimes. In 2013, she was found guilty and sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Aftermath and Activism

In 2017, President Barack Obama commuted Manning's sentence to seven years. She was released from prison in 2017. Since then, she has become an outspoken activist for transgender rights, government transparency, and peace.

Manning's story has been the subject of several books and documentaries. She has also been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Amnesty International Media Award and the Sam Adams Award for Integrity in Intelligence.