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President Obama Commutes Chelsea Manning's Prison Sentence

Obama's act of clemency means Manning will be out of prison in a few months, rather than in 2045.

By: Matt Picht

Posted at 6:31 PM, Jan 17, 2017

and last updated 2017-01-17 18:31:00-05

WikiLeaks leaker Chelsea Manning has had her 35-year prison sentence commuted by President Obama.

Manning, who identifies as female, has spent nearly seven years in an all-male military prison at Ft. Leavenworth.

Manning pleaded guilty in 2013 to sending hundreds of thousands of sensitive diplomatic and military files to WikiLeaks. She's been incarcerated since 2010.

Manning has struggled to access treatment for her gender dysphoria in prison and attempted suicide twice. Advocates say her sentence is unfairly harsh.

The commutation was among 273 acts of clemency Obama announced on one of his last days in office. The president granted clemency to nearly 1,600 people during his terms. Most of them were nonviolent drug offenders.

Earlier in January, WikiLeaks tweeted that its leader, Julian Assange, would submit to U.S. extradition if Manning were freed. There are no formal charges filed against Assange, but he is wanted for questioning in a Swedish rape case.

Manning's new release date is May 17.