Chelsea Manning, a former soldier with the United States Army who was jailed for leaking classified information, said on Monday that she has been denied entry into Canada. Manning posted a letter from the Canadian government on Twitter that suggests she is not allowed to enter the country because of her conviction in the US for espionage.
“So I guess Canada has permanently banned me?” Manning wrote.
The letter said Canada will not let her enter as Manning’s offence in that country would result in a maximum sentence of 10 years. She said on Twitter that she did not agree with the comparison and will challenge the order.
Manning was to enter Canada at the official border near Champlain, New York, last week, The Guardian reported. She told Canadian border officials she was convicted in 2013 under the United States Espionage Act, but had been released from prison in May 2017.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused to comment on the case on Monday, according to the BBC.
The case and Manning’s early release
Born Bradley Manning, the transgender solider had leaked diplomatic cables, documents and videos on the nature of warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan to WikiLeaks in 2010. It was one of the largest breaches of classified material in US history.
In 2013, Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison. The 29-year-old was released in May 2017 after Barack Obama commuted her sentence in the final days of his presidency.
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