Chelsea Manning has recently been in the news for her ongoing legal battles and activism. In 2010, she leaked classified military documents to WikiLeaks, exposing information about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Manning was subsequently arrested and sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 for violations of the Espionage Act and other offenses.
Born on December 17, 1987, in Crescent, Oklahoma, Manning enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2007 and was deployed to Iraq in 2009. It was during this time that she accessed and leaked the classified documents that would later make her a controversial figure. Manning's actions sparked debates about government transparency, whistleblowing, and national security. After serving seven years in prison, her sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama in 2017. Manning continues to be an advocate for government transparency, LGBTQ rights, and civil liberties.