Private Manning Support Network www.privatemanning.org
Item Source
Joseph A. Labadie Collection
Description
This poster features a picture of Private Manning in army uniform and includes the definition of the word “whistleblower” as “a person who tells the people what the government does not want us to know. See also: hero, patriot, Pvt. Chelsea.” In smaller text underneath it reads: “WikiLeaks whistle-blower US Army Intelligence Analyst Private Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning was sentenced to 35 years in military prison at a Fort Meade, Maryland, court martial for exposing the truth about government corruption in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world. We cannot rest until this American Prisoner of Conscience is free.” Text at the bottom attributes the poster to “www.privatemanning.org - The Private Manning Support Network on Facebook & Twitter: SaveManning.”
Chelsea Manning was convicted under the Espionage Act in 2013 and served 7 years in prison for releasing classified and sensitive documents to Wikileaks. These documents provided information about US actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the “Collateral Murder” video that showed American forces shooting at reporters from a helicopter (the pilots claim to have mistaken the reporter’s cameras for weapons). Major news publications such as the New York Times, the Guardian, and others published and reported on the documents shared by Manning. The US government charged Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, with violating the Espionage Act. This action is considered by many to be an attack on the freedom of the press.
