Chelsea Manning Refuses to Testify in WikiLeaks Case
The move potentially puts her in legal jeopardy.
Jack Taylor/Getty
Chelsea Manning, the former U.S. army intelligence analyst who served seven years in military prison for leaking classified information to WikiLeaks, refused to answer prosecutors’ questions about the leak when she appeared in front of a Virginia federal grand jury on Wednesday. At the hearing, Manning repeatedly invoked her 1st, 4th, and 6th Amendment rights when refusing to provide information—but a judge could decide on Friday that her refusal isn’t legally valid, and hold her in contempt of court.
“In solidarity with many activists facing the odds, I will stand by my principles. I will exhaust every legal remedy available,” Manning said in a Thursday statement. “My legal team continues to challenge the secrecy of these proceedings, and I am prepared to face the consequences of my refusal.” Manning was originally sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks. President Obama commuted her sentence in 2016—but a court filing error by federal prosecutors recently revealed that criminal charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may still be pending.
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