The whistle blowing site, WikiLeak, has presented the outgoing President Barack Obama with an astonishing offer. WikiLeaks is wants President Obama to free Chelsea Manning and then Julian Assange will agree to US extradition to face charges as a result of the grand jury investigation.
There are several US lawmakers and commentators that have called for Assange to be charged with conspiracy to obtain secret documents or espionage, on the grounds that Assange had intentions of sabotaging America’s foreign policy and endangered lives.
Surprisingly, this comes after the outgoing President Barack Obama reportedly put Chelsea Manning on a short list to have her 35-year prison sentence reduced. The former US Army Intelligence analyst was sentenced to 35 years in prison in after handing 700,000 military files, videos and diplomatic cables to the whistleblowing site. Having been charged with 22 offences, some of which included aiding the enemy, which was the most serious charge, she was confined at the Marine Corps Brig, Quantico in Virginia under Prevention of injury status.
However, NBC News reported that a decision on a possible commutation could be imminent.
In a statement made to the news channel by her aunt Deborah Manning, she had more hope right now than at any other time since was sentenced back in 2010. In a report issued by the Independent, Manning has attempted to commit suicide twice in the past year, adding that she went on hunger strike back in September in a bid to receive gender reassignment surgery.
The outgoing President Obama has seven days to go. Consequently, Manning believes that a petition that she made to the President in November is her last chance for a long duration. This is based on the fact that many believe that the President-elect will not handle Manning’s case auspiciously and he might let the 29-year-old to continue with her life sentence.
