Excellent news from Washington DC

I heard this excellent news early in the evening (UK time) on 17 January 2017. This news featured prominently in the BBC World Service and also in BBC Radio 4 programmes that evening and this morning (18 Jan). This is interesting because the BBC has largely ignored the Chelsea Manning story for the last seven years. I wonder if that is also the case in your country, wherever you are.

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Friend, I’m crying tears of joy while I write this

The White House just announced that the bulk of imprisoned whistleblower Chelsea 
Manning’s sentence will be commuted. [1]

*Chelsea will be free on May 17th. We literally saved her life.*

The announcement comes after years of sustained activism on Chelsea’s behalf, 
and it marks a massive victory for free speech, human rights, and democracy.

A year ago, heck even two weeks ago, any DC insider would have told you that 
getting Chelsea released was impossible -- that it would never happen.

But time and time again we are proving that when huge numbers of people come 
together and use the Internet to fight for what we believe in, we can change the 
rules for what is and isn’t possible in Washington, DC and beyond.

Chelsea’s release sends a message to governments around the world that they 
cannot act with impunity. It sets a precedent that will benefit so many people. 
Not just future whistleblowers who expose wrongdoing but all those who suffer 
when governments are allowed to act without transparency.

There were a lot of different factors that went into making this historic moment 
possible. Fight for the Future has been at the forefront, helping build public 
support for Chelsea’s release, collecting hundreds of thousands of petition 
signatures, and securing headlines to keep Chelsea in the public eye, even while 
behind bars. [2]

For myself, I’ve been so lucky to become friends with Chelsea over the last 
year, speaking to her on the phone regularly. But I’ve still never seen her 
face, or been able to give her a hug.

Today, I’m overjoyed to know that soon she’ll be able to share her beautiful 
self with the world, and continue on with the rest of her life.

We need to make sure that the story of how Chelsea Manning came to be free is told.

We need everyone to remember that when those in power tell you that something is 
impossible, it just means you need to fight harder.

We need to remain vigilant. Because the battle for the future of free speech and 
our basic rights doesn’t end today. Or tomorrow. Or in four years.

It rages on. And I’m honored to fight by your side.