[The Soup Nazi]

From Demand Progress:

Iraq War whistle-blower Chelsea Manning, a transgender woman who has been subjected to ongoing abuse during her six years in all-male military prisons, just got sentenced to solitary confinement because of her July suicide attempt.

We can't mince words. Solitary confinement for someone already struggling with unmet mental health needs could literally put Chelsea's life in danger. Her sentence must be reversed.

We have just days left to overturn this punishment. Will you chip in $5 to help fund Chelsea's legal appeal and sustain public pressure to keep her out of an isolation cell?

Health experts warn that even short periods in a solitary confinement cell can dramatically increase a person's risk of suicide.1

Chelsea is already vulnerable as a transgender woman. Due to discrimination and violence, close to 50 percent of transgender individuals attempt suicide at some point in their lives.2

And the frightening reality is that 73 percent of all prison suicides happen in isolation cells, and prisoners in solitary confinement are seven times more likely to try to harm themselves than those housed with others.3

That's why medical professionals are reacting to this punishment with shock and outrage.

Chelsea has already faced horrific treatment during her court martial and while serving her 35-year prison sentence for exposing war crimes committed by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. She's been denied medical care.4 She's been denied access to her own lawyers.5 She's been severely punished for petty infractions.6

But this is an appalling new low.

If you chip in today, we'll send half of your donation directly to Chelsea Manning's defense fund and use the other half to mobilize a grassroots campaign calling on Eric Fanning, the Secretary of the Army, to overrule this punishment.

Will you chip in $5 to help Demand Progress and Chelsea's legal team fight to defend her?

Thanks for standing with us,

David Segal and the Demand Progress Team

Sources:

1. Experts decry solitary confinement for Chelsea Manning after suicide attempt, The Guardian, September 24, 2016

2. Transgender study looks at 'exceptionally high' suicide-attempt rate, Los Angeles Times, January 28, 2014

3. The Dangerous Overuse of Solitary Confinement in the United States, American Civil Liberties Union, August 2014

4. Government Continues to Deny Manning Access to Health Care, American Civil Liberties Union, July 28, 2016

5. Chelsea Manning cut off from lawyers amid hospitalization rumors, The Guardian, July 6, 2016

6. Chelsea Manning Found Guilty Of Violating Prison Rules, NPR, August 19, 2015

PAID FOR BY DEMAND PROGRESS (DemandProgress.org) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Contributions are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Join our online community on Facebook or Twitter.