Chelsea Manning attempts self-harm in jail

Jailed transgender US soldier Chelsea Manning has self-harmed after being sent to solitary confinement for a previous incident.

US soldier Chelsea Manning

Jailed US soldier Chelsea Manning has self-harmed after being sent to solitary confinement. (AAP)

US Army soldier Chelsea Manning, who is serving 35 years in prison for passing classified files to WikiLeaks, attempted to take her own life last month for the second time, her attorney said on Friday.

Manning attempted suicide on October 4, at the start of her stay in solitary confinement for attempting suicide the first time in July, said lawyer Chase Strangio.

Manning, 28, who is held at a military prison in Kansas, is a transgender Army private who was born male and revealed after being convicted of espionage that she identifies as a woman.

She tried to take her own life in July after what her lawyers said was the Army's denial of appropriate healthcare.

Strangio said authorities have refused to "adequately treat her gender dysphoria" and criticised the sentence of several days in solitary confinement that was imposed on Manning.

"She has repeatedly been punished for trying to survive and now is being repeatedly punished for trying to die," Strangio said.

She has been returned to the general population section of the prison, Strangio said.

Manning has been a focus of a worldwide debate on government secrecy since she provided more than 700,000 documents, videos, diplomatic cables and battlefield accounts to WikiLeaks.

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.

MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78.

Multicultural Mental Health Australia www.mmha.org.au.

Local Aboriginal Medical Service available from www.vibe.com.au.


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Published 5 November 2016 2:26pm
Source: AAP


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