Chelsea Manning recovering after suicide attempt, lawyers say

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Former US intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning is recovering in hospital after trying to take her own life, her legal team has said.

 

Police confirmed there was “an incident” involving Manning, 32, at a detention centre in Virginia where she has been held since last May.

 

Manning was remanded for contempt of court for refusing to testify before an inquiry into Wikileaks.

 

She is due to appear before a court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Friday.

 

Andy Stepanian, a spokesman for Manning’s legal team, said she continued to refuse to “participate in a secret grand jury process that she sees as highly susceptible to abuse”.

 

“Her actions today evidence the strength of her convictions, as well as the profound harm she continues to suffer as a result of her ‘civil’ confinement,” Mr Stepanian said.

 

In a statement, Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne said: “There was an incident at approximately 12:11pm today at the Alexandria Adult Detention Center involving inmate Chelsea Manning. It was handled appropriately by our professional staff and Ms Manning is safe.”

 

Manning was found guilty in 2013 of charges including espionage for leaking secret military files to Wikileaks, but her sentence was commuted in 2017 by then US President Barack Obama.

 

She has refused to answer further questions about Wikileaks from investigators because she says she has already given her testimony during the 2013 trial.

 

US prosecutors have been investigating Wikileaks for several years. They are currently seeking the extradition of Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange from the UK over his alleged role in the release of classified military and diplomatic material in 2010.

 

Australian-born Assange faces a charge of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion in the US.