The Government Is Threatening To Deny Chelsea Manning’s Visa And People Are Mad
They're saying she doesn't pass "the character test".
The government is threatening to deny whistleblower Chelsea Manning entry to the country, in a last-minute move ahead of a speaking tour planned to start this weekend. She’s meant to arrive today.
The government has served Manning with a notice of intention to consider refusing her visa under section 501 of the Migration Act, which allows the Minister for Immigration to refuse entry to anyone deemed to not pass “the character test”. In this case, the letter sent to Manning cites her “substantial criminal record” as an obstacle to her passing the test.
The Federal Government letter to Chelsea Manning saying it’s preparing to ban her from coming to Australia for a speaking tour. #auspol @politicsabc @abcnews pic.twitter.com/AWke5HNhxJ
— Dan Conifer (@DanConifer) August 29, 2018
And yeah, Manning does have a substantial criminal record — she’s the world’s most famous whistleblower, and served seven years of a 35-year sentence in US military prison for leaking over 700,000 sensitive documents to WikiLeaks back in 2010.
Crucially, though, the majority of that sentence was commuted by President Obama in 2017, who described it as “very disproportionate relative to what other leakers have received”. As Greens Leader Richard Di Natale wrote in a letter requesting that the Department of Home Affairs reconsider its decision, “At the time, President Obama stressed that Ms Manning took responsibility for her actions and had received an excessive sentence. It is clear that Ms Manning is not a public figure who incites violence or hate. Her actions have always been focused on transparency and accountability.”
.@xychelsea’s work is focused on transparency and accountability. We need more of that in Australia – not less.
Late last night we contacted the Morrison Government and called on them to reverse their proposed ban on Chelsea entering Australia. pic.twitter.com/xG1stahsMS
— Richard Di Natale (@RichardDiNatale) August 29, 2018
The news that Manning may be denied entry to Australia has sparked outrage from supporters, who have taken to social media to call the decision a “blatant act of political censorship”, among other things. Journalist Peter Greste, who was scheduled to interview Manning at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday, wrote on Twitter that “we have nothing to fear” from listening to her speak.
Unbelievable! Denying entry to our country of a whistleblower who exposed war crimes would be a blatant act of political censorship. #auspol https://t.co/Tj8xvaxqrc
— Andrew Bartlett (@AndrewBartlett) August 29, 2018
Chelsea Manning threatened with visa denial ahead of Australian tour. I was due to interview her at the Opera House. She has a lot to say, and we have nothing to fear. https://t.co/UfAH7GJxYb… via @smh
— Peter Greste (@PeterGreste) August 29, 2018
Manning herself told The Guardian this morning that she is confident “we will work it out”, and isn’t giving up on getting into the country yet. Organisers of the events Manning is scheduled to speak at have also written to supporters asking them to contact the Minister for Immigration, David Coleman, to voice their support for Manning’s entry into Australia.
The Department of Home Affairs did not respond to Junkee’s requests for comment, but have told other news outlets that they do not comment on individual cases.
In case anyone was wondering this is the official response re Chelsea Manning @xychelsea being considered for a visa ban on character grounds pic.twitter.com/ToB8dgiRSy
— Samantha Maiden (@samanthamaiden) August 29, 2018
We’ll update this post when we know more. In the meantime, you can read our interview with Chelsea Manning from earlier this week here.