A former intelligence analyst in Iraq, Manning was convicted in 2013 of leaking more than 700,000 secret military and State Department documents and battlefield videos to WikiLeaks. Manning’s leaks of classified information were among the largest in US history.
Manning admitted to leaking the materials, arguing that she wanted to expose the US military’s disregard for human rights and the impact of war on civilians. She said she choose information that wouldn’t harm US personnel or security.
Manning, who was sentenced to 35 years in prison after being convicted in 2013, will be released following former president Barack Obama’s order commuting her sentence in January after more than 115,000 people signed a petition for her release.
The 29-year-old Army private, formerly known as Bradley Manning, has been in custody since being arrested in May 2010.
“Chelsea has already served the longest sentence of any whistleblower in the history of this country. It has been far too long, too severe, too draconian,” said Manning’s lawyers in a joint statement.
Manning, who began the process of gender reassignment while in custody, had reportedly tried to commit suicide and gone on hunger strikes.
The lawyers did not specify an exact date of her release but a White House statement in January said she would be freed on May 17.
