Image Credit: Flickr / PROTimothy Krause
Chelsea Manning, the former US soldier that exposed military corruption and war crimes through Wikileaks, has recently been threatened with solitary confinement for having an expired tube of toothpaste and a copy of the Vanity Fair issue that featured Caitlyn Jenner.
Since the beginning of her 35-year prison sentence, Manning has continued to be outspoken against war and the establishment, even writing columns for The Guardian while behind bars in a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, in Kansas.
Sadly, she continues to be harassed by officials at the prison intent on making her life difficult. Recently, she was charged with “disorderly conduct,” “medicine misuse,” “possessing prohibited property” and a series of other bogus charges that could result in a solitary confinement punishment.
As stated earlier, most of these charges are due to an expired tube of toothpaste and a copy of Vanity Fair being found in her cell during a random search. The magazines, along with a number of books were confiscated from the cell after the search.
“I’m concerned that books have been taken from her – those books came to her legally and are clearly not a security threat,” Manning’s lawyer, Nancy Hollander told The Guardian.
Chase Strangio, a staff attorney with the ACLU suggested to the Guardian that these actions may be intended to silence Manning and her continued activism.
“They could chill her activities or even silence her altogether,” Strangio said, adding that, “Chelsea has a growing voice in the public discussion and it would not surprise me were these charges connected to who she is.”
A number of lawyers representing Manning have continued to push for her release, along with millions of supporters worldwide.
John Vibes writes for True Activist and is an author, researcher and investigative journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture and the drug war.
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