The petition details that since Chelsea's arrest she has been subjected to torturous conditions while in military confinement, including being held for a year in solitary confinement while awaiting trial, and since her conviction, has been placed in solitary confinement for an attempted suicide. The United Nations has taken up the fight against the use of solitary confinement. As the former U.N. special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez, explained, "[solitary confinement] was a practice that was banned in the 19th century because it was cruel, but it made a comeback in the last few decades."
The petition request that "This Administration should consider Ms. Manning's prison conditions, including the significant time she spent in solitary confinement, as a reason for reducing her sentence to time served. Our military leaders often say that their most important job is to take care of their service members, but no one in the military has ever truly taken care of Ms. Manning...Ms. Manning's request is reasonable -- she is merely asking for a time served sentence -- the result of which would still place her off the charts for an offense of this nature. She will be left with all of the other consequences of the conviction, including a punitive discharge, a reduction in rank, and the loss of veteran's benefits."
The petition continues, "The government has wasted considerable resources on Ms. Manning's prosecution, including by proceeding in a months long trial that resulted in a not-guilty verdict as to the most serious allegations, and by fighting Ms. Manning's efforts to obtain treatment and therapy for gender dysphoria. She has spent over six years in confinement for an offense that in any other civilized judicial system would have resulted in at most a few years of prison time."
Included in the petition is a seven-page statement from Chelsea to the board that outlines why she disclosed classified information and her gender dysphoria. Chelsea wrote:
"Three years ago I requested a pardon related to my conviction for disclosing classified and other sensitive information to the media out of concern for my country, the innocent civilians whose lives were lost as a result of war, and in support of two values that our country holds dear -- transparency and public accountability. As I reflect on the prior clemency petition I fear my request was misunderstood."As I explained to the military judge who presided over my trial, and as I have reiterated in numerous public statements since these offenses occurred, I take full and complete responsibility for my decision to disclose these materials to the public. I have never made any excuses for what I did. I pleaded guilty without the protection of a plea agreement because I believed the military justice system would understand my motivation for the disclosure and sentence me fairly. I was wrong.
"The military judge sentenced me to thirty-five years confinement -- far more than I could have ever imagined possible, as there was no historical precedent for such an extreme sentence under similar facts. My supporters and legal counsel encouraged me to submit a clemency petition because they believed the conviction itself coupled with the unprecedented sentence was unreasonable, outrageous and out of line with what I had done. In a state of shock, I sought a pardon.
"Sitting here today I understand why the petition was not acted on. It was too soon, and the requested relief was too much. I should have waited. I needed time to absorb the conviction, and to reflect on my actions. I also needed time to grow and mature as a person.
"I have been confined for over six years -- longer than any person accused of similar crimes ever has. I have spent countless hours revisiting those events, pretending as though I did not disclose those materials and therefore was free. This is in part because of the mistreatment I have been subjected to while confined.
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