A US federal judge's decision to jail whistleblower Chelsea Manning for refusing to testify before a grand jury on interactions with WikLeaks poses a threat to press freedom as the Trump administration cracks down on leaks to the media, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in a press release on Monday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th March, 2019) A US Federal judge's decision to jail whistleblower Chelsea Manning for refusing to testify before a grand jury on interactions with WikLeaks poses a threat to press freedom as the Trump administration cracks down on leaks to the media, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in a press release on Monday.
"Rulings like these pose a grave threat to press freedom in the United States, where the bravery of whistleblowers like Manning inform some of the nation's most impactful reporting," RSF North American Advocacy Daphne Pellegrino said. "Whistleblowers must not be treated as criminals, and instead must be recognized for their critical role in maintaining a thriving democracy."
Manning, a former US Army intelligence analysts who previously served seven years in a military prison for leaking classified material was jailed on Friday for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury, which is investigating the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.
Manning previously disclosed contacts with WikiLeaks during a 2013 court martial, in which she was sentenced to 35 years for leaking classified information. Manning's sentence was commuted to time served by former President Barack Obama.
The case is part of a criminal inquiry into WikiLeaks and its leader, Julian Assange, that was begun and dropped during the Obama administration and reportedly revived in the Trump administration.
Legal experts note the case raises dicey press freedom issues because the United States is attempting to prosecute Assange, the publisher of classified information, as opposed to the actual leaker - a scenario that could readily be applied to mainstream and alternative US news outlets that publish classified material.
