Chelsea Manning Found Guilty of Prison Infringements

Manning's lawyers say she had no legal representation when prison found her guilty of infringements that could have put her in solitary confinement.

U.S. whistleblower Chelsea Manning has hit with three weeks of recreational restrictions Tuesday, after allegedly committing infringements including possessing a copy of Vanity Fair magazine and old toothpaste.

Along with charges such as dropping food on the floor during mealtime, possession of the magazine and expired toothpaste violated prison rules, and carried a maximum penalty of indefinite solitary confinement.

After a four hour disciplinary board hearing, Manning was handed down a penalty of 21 days without access to recreational facilities including the prison gym, library and outdoor areas, according to the whistleblower’s attorney Nancy Hollander.

On social media, Hollander described the penalties as “ridiculous.”

“We will fight even harder in her appeal to overturn all her convictions,” Hollander stated.

Manning's legal team said she had no legal representation at the disciplinary hearing, and the outcome could affect future possible parole hearings.

Manning is serving five years of a 35-year prison sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, having been convicted of violations of the Espionage Act and other relating to her passing of a mass of documents to WikiLeaks.

The leaks led to the whistleblower website publishing the now infamous “collateral murder footage,” which showed images of U.S. troops gunning down journalists and other civilians in Iraq. Manning was found guilty of the leaks in 2013.

Before being charged, Manning was held in solitary confinement for 11 months, which the United Nations stated amounted to “torture.”