Federal judge orders release of Chelsea Manning News
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Federal judge orders release of Chelsea Manning

A federal judge in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ordered the release of Chelsea Manning from jail Thursday, explaining that her appearance in court is no longer needed.

Last year, Manning had been subpoenaed to testify in a federal case involving Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks. Manning refused to testify and was found in contempt of court. Manning was subsequently jailed in an attempt to coerce her to testify before the grand jury.

When releasing Manning, Judge Anthony Trenga noted that Manning’s jailing is no longer needed given that the grand jury proceeding has been dismissed. Trenga rejected Manning’s motion to cancel the fines imposed on her that are owed for failing to testify.

The order comes just days after Manning’s lawyers revealed she attempted suicide. It is unclear if prosecutors will subpoena Manning again.