05 December 2023 , 18:00
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Human rights abuse, the torture of prisoners, illegal state espionage by the US - these are the documents leaked by Chelsea Manning while she was stationed in Iraq that compromised national security and landed her a 35-year prison sentence.
The files she handed over to Wikileaks included a video of a US aircraft killing 12 people in Iraq, where a crew member can be heard bragging 'hahaha, I hit 'em.' After seven years she was freed by former US president Barack Obama who said her sentence was disproportionate compared to other whistleblowers. Years later, documentarian Louis Theroux travelled to meet her to find out about her time in prison and what her life is like now as part of his new BBC series, which will air tonight.
Chelsea Manning was jailed again in 2019 for contempt of court (Getty Images)Cast your mind back to 2013 and you may remember the case of Bradley Manning, the army intelligence analyst who was convicted of espionage and related offences for leaking more than 725,000 documents while working in Iraq. Ten years later, she’s still one of America’s most polarising figures and now, Louis Theroux takes a look at the story of Chelsea Manning, who transitioned from a man to a woman whilst behind bars.
The Iraq War whistleblower, activist and data security expert was sent to prison for 35 years for leaking classified information. Manning pleaded guilty to turning over military and diplomatic documents to Wikileaks but was released early in 2017 by US President Barack Obama who said she had served her time. Speaking to PBS News, Mr Obama said: “Let’s be clear Chelsea Manning has served a tough prison sentence. She took responsibility for her crime and her sentence was disproportionate to what other leakers have received. She served a significant amount of time and it made sense to commute - and not pardon - her sentence.”
But that wasn't the end of Manning's time inside. In 2019 she was jailed for a year and fined $256,000 for contempt of court for refusing to testify in a Wikileaks case, according to reports. Whilst inside, the former US Army intelligence analyst tragically attempted suicide in 2020 and was hospitalised and before then, had also been on hunger strike until the US Army agreed she would be allowed to receive gender transition surgery. She became the first prisoner to transition from a man into a woman.
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Chelsea Manning ahead of a Q&A event in London in 2018 (Getty Images)Branded a traitor by some and a hero by others, the activist reveals to Louis what drove her to risk everything to make the documents public, as well as the enormous impact it has had on her life since. Louis and Chelsea also discuss her experience of incarceration, her mental health challenges and explore her identity growing up in rural Oklahoma during a difficult childhood.
Chelsea’s personal life
Chelsea was born Bradley Manning in 1987 in Oklahoma to a Welsh mother and American father. Dad Brian joined the United States Navy in 1974 and served for five years as an intelligence analyst and met Chelsea’s mother Susan while stationed in Wales at RAF Brawdy in Haverfordwest. The couple returned to the United States in 1979, settling first in California.
She had a difficult childhood. Chelsea's older sister Casey, who was born in 1976, told the court-martial that both their parents were alcoholics and that their mother drank continually while pregnant with Chelsea.
Rumours suggest Grimes and Chelsea Manning dated (Getty Images)In 2022, she was rumoured to be dating Canadian musician (and Elon Musk’s ex) Grimes but wouldn’t confirm whether it was true or not. “I’m not gonna get into my dating life,” she told US website The Daily Beast. “There’s been a lot of speculation and a lot of news stories. I have not changed my perspective on this: I don’t like speculation about my private life. I prefer to keep my private life private. I don’t want to create a precedent either.
“Another concern that I have is I don’t want to confirm or deny anything in my private life because I don’t want to make it seem like I’m open to having people digging into my personal life, real or imagined,” she explained. “I see a lot of people struggling with this, and I don’t want to get sucked into celebrity-culture stuff.”
Louis Theroux Interviews: Chelsea Manning is on BBC Two this evening at 8pm
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