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Chelsea Manning hospitalized in possible suicide attempt, say reports

Chelsea Manning hospitalized in possible suicide attempt, say reports

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Chelsea Manning has been hospitalized at Fort Leavenworth, in what multiple outlets are describing as a possible suicide attempt. Manning was taken from her cell on Tuesday and is currently being monitored, according to independent reports from CNN and TMZ.

Reached by The Daily Dot, Fort Leavenworth confirmed that Manning had been taken to a hospital Tuesday morning, but declined to say more, citing medical privacy law. Another spokesperson seemed to question the rumors, telling the Dot, "I don't know where [the media] came up with that information. I can't verify that."

Manning is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence for providing classified information to WikiLeaks, but has become the subject of widespread activism in the years following her arrest. Born Bradley Manning, Chelsea joined with Amnesty International to successfully sue the government for the right to hormone therapy in prison. After that victory, Manning continued to work as a public critic of the US military’s stance on transgender issues, publishing an article on the military’s new transgender policy last week.

Update July 11th, 6:50PM ET: In a statement released Monday, Manning's attorneys confirmed the reports and criticized the government's "gross breach of confidentiality" for leaking her medical information. "She knows that people have questions about how she is doing, and she wants everyone to know that she remains under close observation by the prison and expects to remain on this status for the next several weeks," the attorneys write.

If you're struggling and need to talk to someone, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.