Edward Snowden sends birthday greeting to ‘extraordinary’ Chelsea Manning

Snowdens greetings are among a slew of birthday messages from artists, writers and activists published by the Guardian. Photograph: HO/AFP/Getty Images

From one whistleblower in exile to another in military prison: a birthday greeting. Edward Snowden marks the 27th birthday of Chelsea Manning on Wednesday with a personalized message that praises the WikiLeaks source for having inspired an angry public.

Since he astounded the world with his NSA revelations in June 2013, Snowdens name has perhaps inevitably been associated with that of Manning, who had similarly astounded the world with the WikiLeaks trove of state secrets three years previously. In the pantheon of contemporary US official leakers, Snowden and Manning rank supreme they were jointly nominated for the Nobel peace prize and Snowden referred to Manning in his early interviews, as a classic whistleblower.

Related: Dear Chelsea Manning: birthday messages from Edward Snowden, Terry Gilliam and more

Now Snowden has offered words of comfort for Manning as she marks her fifth birthday behind bars. From his own exile in Russia, the former NSA contractor thanks Manning for her extraordinary act of service, regretting that it has come with such an unbelievable personal cost.

He writes: You have inspired an angry public to demand a government that is accountable for its perpetration of torture and other war crimes, for the true costs of its wars, and for conspiring in corruption around the world.

Snowdens greetings are among a slew of birthday messages from artists, writers and activists published by the Guardian. The group variously express admiration for her act of courage and hope that, with many more years of her sentence left to run, she might find some consolation in the knowledge that she is in the thoughts of others.

As the Nobel prize-winning novelist JM Coetzee puts it: Im sure it is not much fun spending your birthday behind bars, but I want to let you know that there are thousands and millions of people in the wider world who are thinking of you and wishing you well.

Michael Stipe, formerly of REM, sends a handwritten note headlined: Hey Patriot!! He says A lot of friends and supporters are thinking of you today.

Filmmaker Terry Gilliam offers a cartoon of a wobbly figure tentatively stepping onto a tightrope over a cliff with the words: Chelsea, your bravery has shown us much to be worried about. We are deeply in your debt.

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Edward Snowden sends birthday greeting to 'extraordinary' Chelsea Manning