The Internet Wants to Give Chelsea Manning A Hug

FreeChelsea Hugs For Chelsea

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 16, 2017

Contact: Evan Greer, 978-852-6457, press@fightforthefuture.org

The Internet Wants to Give Chelsea Manning A Hug

Thousands are joining online #HugsForChelsea campaign, posting photos with arms outstretched calling for President Obama to grant Chelsea’s commutation request

Following reports that Chelsea Manning is on President Obama’s “short list” for a possible commutation, the Internet has exploded with support for the imprisoned transgender transparency advocate.

Over the weekend, thousands of people started taking part in a spontaneous #HugsForChelsea campaign, posting photos of themselves with their arms outstretched as if waiting to give Chelsea Manning a hug, calling for President Obama to grant her clemency. Some prominent individuals including Michael Stipe (of REM) and Sean Ono Lennon have joined the effort.

See a selection of #HugsForChelsea photos here: http://imgur.com/a/GS2Tw

See the landing page for the campaign here.

“Chelsea has so much love and support coming from people across the political spectrum,” said Evan Greer, campaign director of Fight for the Future, who posted the first #HugsForChelsea photo, “She has suffered enough. People are coming out of the woodwork to speak out. President Obama needs to do the right thing and free her now. After getting to know her as one of her supporters over the last year, I personally can’t wait to give her a hug.”

“As President Obama’s days in office wind down, people from all walks of life are standing in solidarity with Chelsea and urging the President to save her before it is too late,” said Chase Strangio, Chelsea’s ACLU attorney. “After years of suffering in prison under horrific conditions including long stretches of solitary confinement, the denial of health care for gender dysphoria and arbitrary punishments including for attempting suicide, Chelsea needs to be set free before this treatment results in her death.”

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Background:

  • More than 100,000 people signed an official Whitehouse.gov petition, meeting the threshold to require a response from the President.
  • Hundreds of thousands have signed previous petitions organized by Fight for the Future and other groups decrying Chelsea’s treatment while in prison
  • The ACLU and more than a dozen prominent LGBT organizations sent a letter to President Obama calling for Chelsea’s commutation
  • Human Rights Watch sent a letter to President Obama supporting clemency
  • Dozens of other human rights, free speech, government transparency, and civil liberties organizations have called for Chelsea’s release
  • A wide range of notable people have publicly supported Chelsea including Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Morris C. Davis, journalist Glenn Greenwald, Sean Ono Lennon, REM lead singer Michael Stipe, comedian Margaret Cho, Thurston Moore, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, and many others.
The Internet Wants to Give Chelsea Manning A Hug
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