Chelsea Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 for her role in leaking classified government material to WikiLeaks. USA TODAY<\/p>\n
ALEXANDRIA, Va. A federal judge Thursday ordered Chelsea Manning released from jail after the former Army intelligence analyst's yearlong refusal to cooperate with a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks.<\/p>\n
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga comes as the grand jury's term expired and a day after Manning attempted suicide at the Alexandria Detention Center, where she has been held since May.<\/p>\n
Trenga, however, ordered Manning to pay $256,000 in fines for her refusal to provide testimony in the case.<\/p>\n
\"Needless to say we are relieved and ask that you respect her privacy while she gets on her feet,\" Manning's legal team said.<\/p>\n
Manning had been slated to appear for a Friday hearing where attorneys were preparing to argue for her release from civil contempt sanctions.<\/p>\n
Shortly after noon on Wednesday, however, authorities rushed to Manning's aid after she attempted to take her own life.<\/p>\n
\"It was handled appropriately by our professional staff and Ms. Manning is safe,\" said Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne, who oversees the detention center.<\/p>\n
Manning's attorneys said in a statement that throughout her incarceration, she remained \"unwavering in her refusal to participate in a secret grand jury process that she sees as highly susceptible to abuse.\"<\/p>\n
\"Ms. Manning has previously indicated that she will not betray her principles, even at risk of grave harm to herself,\" the statement said.<\/p>\n
Trenga had said that Manning refused to testify because of a philosophical objection to the use of grand juries and that Manning has persisted in her refusal.<\/p>\n
Manning's case has attracted heightened attention because of her status as a transgender soldier. Shewas sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 for her role in leaking a cache of classified government material to WikiLeaks.<\/p>\n
At the time, she was known as Bradley Manning. President Barack Obama commuted her sentence in 2017.<\/p>\n
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