Chelsea Manning has been banned from entering Canada for what she could potentially do in the country, a tweet from the activist announced.
The ex-political prisoner and whistleblower posted a rejection letter from the Canadian government dated Sept. 22, denying her application for a temporary visitor visa.
According to the letter, Manning was deemed “inadmissible on grounds of serious criminality,” referring to her sentencing in the United States in 2013 under the Treason Act.
“If committed in Canada this offense would equate to an indictable offense, namely treason,” the letter stated, adding that such a crime would be tried as treason and could result in up to 14 years in prison.
Manning responded in a second tweet, saying the law is not similar and she plans to contest the rejection letter during an “admissible hearing” sometime in the future.
The letter also stated she was rejected due to the fact she is not a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or registered under the Indian Act.
so, i guess canada has permanently banned me ? ✋🤠🌄🇨🇦 @CitImmCanada denied entry b/c of convictions similar to "treason" offense 🤔🌈💕 pic.twitter.com/xp0JOEEOGd
— Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) September 25, 2017
Earlier this month, an invitation for Manning to speak at Harvard’s Kennedy School was revoked after CIA Director Mike Pompeo canceled his appearance at the school in protest, publicly calling Manning a “traitor to the United States of America.”
The 29-year-old Chelsea Manning was released from prison in May 2017 after seven years of confinement in a U.S. military prison after leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks revealing information about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Although originally sentenced to 35 years in 2013, her sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama in 2016. She was formerly a U.S. Army soldier.
Top photo | Chelsea Manning, right, is assisted with a microphone, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, before a scheduled appearance at a forum, in Nantucket, Mass. (AP/Steven Senne)
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