Chelsea Manning: Former Army Intelligence Analyst and Whistleblower

Early Life and Military Service

Chelsea Elizabeth Manning, born Bradley Edward Manning on December 17, 1987, is an American activist and whistleblower. She served as a United States Army intelligence analyst from 2007 to 2010.

Whistleblowing and WikiLeaks

In 2010, Manning came into possession of a vast trove of classified documents that she found deeply troubling. She believed that the public had a right to know about the contents of these documents, which included evidence of war crimes and human rights violations. As a result, she provided over 700,000 documents to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks.

Trial and Imprisonment

Manning was arrested in 2010 and charged with various offenses under the Espionage Act. She faced a 35-year prison sentence but was eventually sentenced to seven years in prison. She served six years before being granted clemency by President Barack Obama in 2017.

Post-Prison Life

Since her release from prison, Manning has become an outspoken activist for whistleblowing and government transparency. She has authored a memoir, "README.txt: A Memoir," and has spoken at numerous conferences and events. In 2021, she ran for the U.S. Senate in Maryland but was unsuccessful.

Significance

Chelsea Manning's whistleblowing actions have had a profound impact on American society. Her leaks of classified documents sparked a public debate about the balance between national security and the right to know. She is widely recognized as a courageous whistleblower who shed light on the inner workings of the US military and intelligence agencies.