US court orders Chelsea Manning's release from jail

US District Judge Anthony Trenga wrote in the order, adding that her appearance is no longer needed. The former military officer was held for refusing to testify to a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks.

Washington: Whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who was jailed for refusing to testify against WikiLeaks before a grand jury, was released on Thursday.

The order comes a day after Manning attempted suicide inside the Alexandria Detention Center in Virginia, reportedly by using a bedsheet to hang herself, media reported.

The grand jury that Manning was summoned to testify before had concluded its work and was discharged on March 12, US District Judge Anthony Trenga wrote in the order, adding that her appearance is no longer needed and "her detention no longer serves any coercive purpose."

The former military officer had been held since May last year when she was taken back into custody for refusing to testify to a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks.

Manning, who had earlier served nearly seven years in prison for the massive leak, objected to the questioning in a court appearance in March that was part of a continued effort by federal prosecutors investigating WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

The whistleblower was subsequently held in contempt and a federal appeals court rejected her argument for release that her rights were violated by the subpoena proceedings, and the federal prosecutors purportedly seeking to entrap her in April.

Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison, a sentence which was commuted by former US President Barack Obama in 2017, following which she was released.

(With inputs from ANI)