Chelsea Manning to return to jail for refusing to testify

Former US military intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning was once again found in contempt by a federal judge for refusing to testify before a grand jury and will return to jail, just seven days after being released from the same prison.

In a court proceeding on Thursday in Alexandria, Virginia, Manning was remanded by the US Marshals Service, reports CNN.

The judge also ruled that she will be fined $500 per day after 30 days and $1,000 per day after 60 days.

Manning was released from federal custody last week after spending 62 days in jail for refusing to testify before another grand jury in March about her disclosure of military and diplomatic secrets to WikiLeaks in 2010.

The questioning was apparently part of a continued effort by federal prosecutors investigating WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Manning was subsequently held in contempt.

Assistant US Attorney Thomas Traxler argued on Thursday that "Manning holds the keys to the jailhouse door", while Manning told Judge Anthony Trenga that she would "rather starve to death" than testify.

"I would rather starve to death than change my opinions in that regard," Manning told Trenga, reiterating her opposition to the secretive grand jury process.

In a statement on Thursday, Manning's attorney Moira Meltzer-Cohen said she was "disappointed" in Trenga's decision to detain her client, but did not expect Manning to change course in her refusal to testify, CNN reported.

Following Manning's release, her lawyers appeared to anticipate her being held in contempt a second time, as she planned to refuse to testify.

"Chelsea will continue to refuse to answer questions," they added.

--IANS

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