Obama commutes Chelsea Manning's 35-year sentence. Twitter reacts
Manning has becoming a hugely divisive personality in the US, after she was arrested and jailed in 2010 for passing on sensitive military files to Wikileaks while serving in the military.
It follows campaigns for her freedom, particularly given fears over her safety and well-being in prison.
For some, Manning is a brave seeker of truth who sacrificed her future to see war crimes come to light.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) January 17, 2017" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post
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— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) January 17, 2017" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post
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VICTORY: Obama commutes Chelsea Manning sentence from 35 years to 7. Release date now May 17. Background: https://t.co/HndsbVbRer — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 17, 2017 " style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post
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— jimgeraghty (@jimgeraghty) January 17, 2017" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post
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— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) January 17, 2017" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post
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— Bret Stephens (@StephensWSJ) January 17, 2017" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post
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Overall there was strong symapthy for her but less so for the Wikileaks organisation. Many pointed out that the group's founder Julian Assange had pledged to accept extradition to the US if Manning was given clemency.
— Erika Heidewald (@erikaheidewald) January 17, 2017" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post
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— Mr Grey Ghost (@Mr_Ghostly) January 17, 2017" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post
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