A US federal judge on Thursday ordered the release of whistleblower Chelsea Manning from prison. Judge Anthony Trenga, in an order filed at a US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, said her testimony was no longer required in the grand jury investigation into WikiLeaks.

Read more: WikiLeaks and Julian Assange: The never-ending story

He also rejected a request by Manning to cancel fines imposed on her for refusing to testify. The total amount — in fines — stands at $256,000 (€229,000).

The former Army intelligence analyst has been behind bars since May 2019, but this isn’t the first time she has been imprisoned.

The US government has accused her of colluding with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to release classified documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Manning was sent to prison in 2010 and convicted of espionage in 2013. She received a 35-year prison term, before then-President Barack Obama commuted the sentence and ordered her release in 2017.

The order for Manning's release comes a day after her legal team said she was recuperating under medical care after a failed suicide attempt.

see/dr (Reuters, dpa)

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