Barack Obama commutes Chelsea Manning’s prison sentence
President Barack Obama has commuted transgender prisoner Chelsea Manning’s jail sentence.
The former army private, born Bradley Manning, was initially sentence to 35 years for her part in leaking 700,000 classified US documents to WikiLeaks in 2010, but will now be freed in May.
The leak was one of the largest security breaches in American history.
After being jailed at the infamous Fort Leavenwoth, an all-male military prison, Manning, 29, was hospitalised after two suicide bids. Shortly afterwards she staged a hunger strike, which only ended after the US Army agreed to provide gender-affirming surgery.
In November, Manning appealed to President Obama to be released before Donald Trump moves into the White House.
In one of his final acts as President, Obama pardoned 64 people and commuted the sentences of 209 others.
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