Motion Hearing Held In Bradley Manning Case

Chelsea Manning, formerly known as Army Pvt. Bradley Manning, is escorted June 6, 2012, as she leaves a military court at Fort Meade, Md.
Photo Credit: Alex Wong/Getty

Chelsea Manning, the transgender Army private convicted of leaking national security secrets, was found guilty on Tuesday of four prison infractions. She will spend three weeks without being able to go outdoors, among other activities, she said on Twitter and her lawyer confirmed for USA Today.

Manning, 27, tweeted details of the ruling late Tuesday, saying, "I was found guilty of all 4 charges @ today's board; I am receiving 21 days of restrictions on recreation — no gym, library or outdoors."

She was charged with disrespect of a prison officer and accused of having books and magazines, including Vanity Fair and Cosmopolitan, among other offenses. Prison documents noted that the Cosmopolitan issue included an interview with Manning and the Vanity Fair had Caitlyn Jenner on the cover.

Manning's lawyer, Chase Strangio of the American Civil Liberties Union, confirmed the restrictions to USA Today via an email and said Manning is grateful to her supporters, but added that it sets a "concerning precedent" that Manning had to face the disciplinary board for four hours without counsel.

"Not only does the punishment mean the immediate loss of library and recreation for Chelsea, but she also will carry these infractions through her parole and clemency process and will be held longer in the more restrictive custody where she is now incarcerated," Strangio wrote. "No one should have to face the lingering threat of solitary confinement for reading and writing about the conditions we encounter in the world. Chelsea's voice is critical to our public discourse about government accountability and trans justice and we can only preserve it if we stay vigilant in our advocacy on her behalf."

Manning's lawyers said last week that she was being harassed.

In an earlier email, the ACLU said Manning was charged with disrespect for requesting a lawyer when she felt she was being accused of misconduct. Other charges included disorderly conduct for sweeping food on the floor, possessing an expired tube of toothpaste and possessing "prohibited property" — some of them documents pertaining to trans rights and government transparency, including the Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Torture.

"This kind of action has the potential to chill Chelsea's speech and silence her altogether," Strangio told USA Today.

Manning could have faced indefinite solitary confinement, the ACLU said.

The closed hearing was held at the Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., where Manning is serving her sentence. Officials at Fort Leavenworth and the U.S. Army could not be immediately reached late Tuesday.

On Twitter, Manning supporters reacted to the development. Bernardo Jurema, a research associate at Freie Universitat Berlin who tweets as @bermajurema, said: "They say Snowden should come home and face a fair trial," referring to Edward Snowden, former government contractor now living in Russia after leaking information about the National Security Agency. "Look how well that's turning out for Chelsea Manning."

When arrested in May 2010, Chelsea Manning was intelligence analyst Bradley Manning. He was accused of violating the Espionage Act after releasing to the Wikileaks website about 700,000 classified or sensitive military and diplomatic documents. Charges against Manning ultimately included aiding the enemy, which could have brought the death sentence.

Manning pleaded guilty in February 2013 to 10 of the charges and months later was convicted of more charges, but acquitted of aiding the enemy.

The day after Manning was sentenced, defense lawyers issued a press release announcing that Manning was a female and asked that she be referred to as Chelsea.

Manning later sought hormone therapy and to be able to live as a woman. Transgender individuals were not allowed to serve in the U.S. military, and the Defense Department did not provide such treatment. The Army approved Manning's treatment early this year.

Last month, Defense Secretary Ash Carter issued a memo to top military brass and civilians outlining his plan to protect transgender troops from being discharged and directing officials to develop a plan within six months to incorporate those troops into the ranks.

Contributing: Melanie Eversley, USA TODAY

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