Federal judge orders Bradley Manning released

 
Article by Jeff Mordock and Victor Morton in "The Washington Times":

A federal judge ordered the release of Bradley Manning from jail, days after a reported suicide attempt.

U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga ordered the release Thursday after ruling that there was no need to keep Mr. Manning in jail to coerce testimony.

Judge Trenga said the court had discharged the grand jury that federal prosecutors were trying to force the former Army intelligence analyst and leaker to appear before.

“The Court finds that Mr. Manning’s appearance before the Grand Jury is no longer needed, in light of which his detention no longer serves any coercive purpose,” the judge ruled.

Manning had been jailed in Alexandria, Virginia, since May 2019 for refusing to testify before a grand jury about his contacts with the anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks in 2010.

Last year, he served roughly two months for refusing to testify before another grand jury in March 2019. He was released, but returned to jail after he was found in contempt for dodging a second subpoena.

Manning attempted suicide Wednesday night while in custody. Details about the incident remain unclear, but his attorneys said he is recovering.

Manning was convicted in 2013 for leaking millions of State Department cables and a classified video of U.S. helicopters firing on civilians and journalists in Iraq in 2007 to WikiLeaks.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/mar/12/chelsea-manning-release-ordered-federal-judge/