In this undated file photo provided by the U.S. Army, Pfc. Chelsea Manning poses for a photo. | AP Photo Chelsea Manning formally petitions Obama to commute sentence

Chelsea Manning, who is serving a 35-year sentence in military prison after pleading guilty to leaking government documents to WikiLeaks in 2010, has requested that President Barack Obama commute her sentence to the six years she has already served.

Manning, a transgender woman who was once deployed to Iraq, provided a statement accompanying her petition to the president criticizing the reluctance of military prison officials to grant her treatment for her gender dysphoria and their use of solitary confinement. Manning’s lawyers provided the statement and petition to The New York Times.


Manning noted that she has attempted suicide while in prison and suggested that an early release, though not a pardon, is necessary to ensure that she will continue to receive treatment.

Speaking to her crime generally, Manning wrote that she “did not intend to harm the interests of the United States or harm any service members” when she leaked the materials and contended that she has “served a sufficiently long sentence” already.