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THE HERALD FRIDAY JANUARY 20 2017
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Obama commutes sentence acts before he leaves office
PRESIDENT Barack Obama
has commuted the prison sentence of Chelsea Manning, the United States Army soldier who was born in Pembrokeshire and attended Tasker Milward School in Haverfordwest for four years. Chelsea, 29, is currently serving a
35-year sentence after being convicted of leaking classified documents to the Wikileaks website and has been the focus of many campaigns as she serves the longest punishment ever imposed in the United States for a leak conviction. Chelsea is transgender and
previously went by the name of Bradley. She is now due to be released on May 17, six years into her sentence. On Tuesday (Jan 17), the White
House press secretary Josh Earnest was asked if the NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden, currently living in Russia, could also be in line for a pardon. Earnest contended that there are key dissimilarities between the two cases. He said: “Chelsea Manning is somebody who went through the military criminal justice process, was exposed to due process, was found
Thomas Sinclair Editor
editor@herald.email
guilty, was sentenced for her crimes, and she acknowledged wrongdoing,” he said. “Mr Snowden fled into the arms
of an adversary and has sought refuge in a country that most recently made a concerted effort to undermine confidence in our democracy.” Celebrities have also been making
comment. Filmmaker and activist Michael Moore appears overjoyed by the act of clemency. “Thank you President Obama for commuting the prison sentence of Chelsea Manning! She will be released in May – instead of in 2045!” he tweeted. He went on: “Chelsea Manning risked everything and has languished in prison for seven years because she chose to reveal documents about the lies that led to Iraq War.”
Although the documents Manning
provided to WikiLeaks were 'damaging to national security', Earnest said, those leaked by Snowden were 'far more serious and far more dangerous'. Snowden tweeted in response to
the Manning decision: “In five more months, you will be free. Thank you for what you did for everyone, Chelsea. Stay strong a while longer! […] Let it be said here in earnest, with good heart: Thanks, Obama […] To all who campaigned for clemency on Manning’s behalf these last hard years, thank you. You made this happen.”
WEST WALES SUPPORT As recently as last month, events
have been taking place to put pressure on the US president to act over the Manning case. On December 17, Côr Gobaith were in Aberystwyth along with other supporters to wish her happy birthday and petition President Obama to release the whistle-blower as an act of clemency. Ian Bell, who organised Côr Gobaith’s contribution, told The Herald: "It's very special for me to be able to take part in these actions with a fantastic group of people. "Reflecting on the connections
between Chelsea and the situation in Syria, among the cables she released to WikiLeaks were many relating to that country. She revealed the US Government targeted Aleppo as one of the places they could foment violent insurrection."
BACK IN PEMBROKESHIRE Stephen Crabb MP told The Herald:
“Those who have followed Chelsea Manning’s trial closely will know that, while a very serious crime was committed, her case and circumstances were not straightforward. “Those in my constituency who
raised concerns about her welfare, including her family and friends in Pembrokeshire, will be relieved at her release.
Sentence commuted: Obama’s last act “The decision to commute
Chelsea’s sentence is an act of mercy and compassion which reflects well on Barack Obama both on a very human level and as a President.” Members of the family based
in Pembrokeshire have told The Herald how she was subjected to the humiliation of being stripped naked and kept in solitary confinement. The family have claimed she
was tortured by US authorities, using some of the shamed CIA techniques exposed in a damning report made public this week, and have spoken out as calls grow for an inquiry into what the British authorities knew about the extent of the use of barbaric interrogation techniques used by US interrogators. Chelsea’s mother, Susan Manning,
said: “Chelsea will be 27-years-old on December 17 and this will be the fifth birthday she’s spent in prison. It breaks my heart to think of her missing out on freedom, all because she told the truth instead of covering it up. Chelsea was brought up to be truthful." Mrs Manning added: “When she
was small, her grandmother lived with us and she always said to the children: ‘If you can’t tell the truth, don’t bother speaking’.” In statement from Chelsea’s family
released to this newspaper, they said: "We are all overjoyed that Chelsea will soon be free. "Chelsea exposed wrongdoing
and was punished for being a whistle- blower. We regret that it has taken so long for President Obama to commute the sentence and are outraged that
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