NSA whistleblower Chelsea Manning, 31, has been released from custody after refusing to give evidence to a Grand Jury in March during an inquiry into Wikileaks. However, Manning is not in the clear. Even before Manning left prison, custody papers were served which mean that Manning will be back before a new Grand Jury on 16 May. Presumably Manning will refuse to testify again and will yo-yo straight back into prison.
Manning’s testimony is seen as important because it was to Wikileaks that Manning passed Top Secret information in 2010. Manning does not want to testify believing that any information given will be used against Julian Assange who was in charge of Wikileaks at the time.
If determined to stand on a point of principle, Manning needs to find a smarter way to do this. Either that or critics will simply chortle at the endless prison terms. Manning was pardoned by President Obama in 2017. It seems a shame to keep going back. The words “head”, “banging” and “brick wall” come to mind.