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Chelsea Manning faces a series of new “administrative offenses” stemming from her suicide attempt earlier this month that could land her in solitary confinement for decades.
Manning, who is best known for her imprisonment over the leaking of U.S. diplomatic cables and evidence of war crimes, was notified by the Army on Thursday that she was under investigation, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
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The ACLU said the 28-year-old soldier remains despondent over what the civil liberties group describes as the Army's continued denial of appropriate health care for her.
Manning, who was born with male sex organs, revealed after being convicted of espionage that she identifies as a woman and that she would be seeking hormone therapy as soon as possible.
The U.S. military, however, has dragged its feet on her transition, causing distress and mental health issues for Manning, according to the ACLU. Manning, despite being a transgender woman, continues to be held at an all-male facility.
“The government has long been aware of Chelsea's distress associated with the denial of medical care related to her gender transition and yet delayed and denied the treatment recognized as necessary,” said ACLU attorney Chase Strangio in an online statement.
The ACLU denounced the latest disciplinary action as "unconscionable."
If convicted, Manning could be reclassified into maximum security, face an additional nine years in medium security detention, and indefinite solitary confinement, the ACLU said.
A transcript of the Army notice of investigation, as dictated over the phone by Manning to one her supporters and posted online by the ACLU, makes no explicit mention of a failed suicide attempt.
However, Manning was told the inquiry stemmed from her July 5 attempt to take her own life, which led to her being hospitalized for 24 hours, Strangio said.
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The notice lists three "administrative offenses" for which Manning is under investigation: "resisting the force cell move team," "prohibited property" and "conduct which threatens." Manning has yet to respond to the charges, Strangio said.
Manning, a former intelligence analyst in Iraq, was sentenced in 2013 to 35 years in prison after a military court convicted her of providing more than 700,000 documents, videos, diplomatic cables and battlefield accounts to WikiLeaks.
The U.N. special rapporteur on torture said in 2012 after a two-year investigation that Manning was subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment by the U.S. armed forces.
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