WASHINGTON: Former US Army soldier and WikiLeaks source Chelsea Manning was released from prison on Thursday on a judge’s order after being held since May for refusing to testify in an ongoing US investigation of WikiLeaks.

US District Court Judge Anthony Trenga in Alexandria, Virginia, ordered Manning released because the grand jury hearing the case had concluded.

Alexandria City Sheriff Dana Lawhorne told reporters late that Manning had been released from the Alexandria Detention Centre.

Trenga rejected a request from Manning to cancel fines that he had imposed for her refusal to testify and ordered her to pay fines totaling $256,000. A detention hearing for Manning scheduled for Friday was canceled.

“Needless to say we are relieved and ask that you respect her privacy while she gets on her feet,” Manning’s defence team said in an emailed statement.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for Manning’s defence team said Manning had attempted to commit suicide and had been taken to hospital, where she was recovering. Spokesman Andy Stepanian said that in spite of her imprisonment and the imposition of financial sanctions, Manning remained “unwavering in her refusal to participate in a secret grand jury process that she sees as highly susceptible to abuse.”

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2020