Fight for the Future celebrates the release of Chelsea Manning

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, May 11, 2017
Contact: Evan Greer, 978-852-6457, press@fightforthefuture.org

Grassroots activism helped secure Chelsea’s freedom

Next week, on May 17th, Chelsea Manning will be released after 7 years of incarceration.

Fight for the Future, a free speech organization that has led many of the largest online efforts in support of Chelsea, issued the following statement, which can be attributed to Campaign Director, Evan Greer (pronouns: she/hers.) Greer is a personal friend and close supporter of Manning, and has spoken to her on the phone regularly during the last several years of her imprisonment.

“Chelsea Manning is one of the most courageous and compassionate people I have ever had the privilege to get to know. The world needs people like her now more than ever.

Chelsea’s release is a victory for transparency, democracy, and freedom of expression. It’s a victory for human rights and for LGBTQ people in prison. And it’s a testament to the power of grassroots activism.

Hundreds of thousands of people spoke out in support of Chelsea through petitions, protests, and online campaigns. She has inspired so many of us with her limitless passion and drive to make the world a better place, speak truth to power, and help others.

Fight for the Future is honored to have played a role in helping secure Chelsea Manning’s freedom. We thank all of our supporters who took action to defend her basic rights and draw attention to the government’s inhumane treatment of this brave woman, who was held in conditions that the United Nations condemned as torture.

As for me, I just can’t wait to finally meet Chelsea face to face, and give her a hug.”

Fight for the Future is a digital rights and free speech non-profit best known for organizing some of the largest online protests in history against online censorship and surveillance, and in support of net neutrality. The group has played a leading role in supporting Chelsea Manning over the last several years. Fight for the Future has:

  • Gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures on several petitions opposing the government’s mistreatment of Chelsea.
  • Pushed a Whitehouse.gov petition calling for clemency over the 100,000 signature threshold required to receive a response from President Obama.
  • Launched HappyBirthdayChelsea.com to send Chelsea thousands of personalized cards on her birthday.
  • Assisted Chelsea in releasing statements to the press regarding her hunger strike and in the aftermath of her suicide attempt.
  • Helped publicize legislation that Chelsea drafted while in prison to abolish the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
  • Launched the #HugsForChelsea campaign which led to a flood of people posting photos of themselves with their arms outstretched, waiting to give Chelsea a hug.
  • Helped promote a GoFundMe campaign that has raised more than $120,000 to assist with Chelsea’s basic survival expenses upon her release.

Learn more at https://www.fightforthefuture.org or follow us on Twitter @fightfortheftr

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