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Restrictions begin for Chelsea Manning; 21 days for expired toothpaste, books

The most recent photos of Chelsea available, from Feb 2015

September 18, 2015 by the Chelsea Manning Support Network
After weeks of uncertainty, last night (Sept 17) Chelsea Manning received the paperwork that her 21-day recreational sentence would begin that very evening. This sentence was the result of an August 18th secret disciplinary panel that found Chelsea guilty of four ridiculously innocuous institutional offenses, including the possession of books and magazines related to politics and LBGTQ issues (which she received openly via the prison mail system), and having a tube of toothpaste that was past its expiration date–deemed “medical mis-use”. She was initially threatened with the potential of indefinite solitary confinement.
Read the actual charge sheet here via Chelsea’s Twitter account–here are a few more pages.
On the phone with a Support Network staff member, Chelsea quickly relayed the official restrictions in the limited time she now has outside her cell.
Chelsea is restricted from participating in any and all activities deemed to be recreational. Recreation includes but is not limited to the following:

• Watching or listening to television, movies, radio
• Being in possession of arts and crafts supplies
• Participating in inside (gym, library) or outside recreation
• Not authorized to retain personal headsets, earbuds, or radio
• She will be restricted in her cell from 6:30 in the evening until 5:00 in the morning.
• On weekends she will only be allowed outside her cell from 5:45 in the morning until 8 in the morning and meals.
• She is allowed to make telephone calls during breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• She can use the law library. Her visitation, mail, and academic courses are not affected.

As a result of these restrictions, Chelsea will only be able to spend minimal time outside of her cell besides when she works for the prison and meals. On weekends, Chelsea can only be outside her cell for 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Chelsea Manning has been very vocal while in prison; she is a columnist for the Guardian, maintains a presence on Twitter, and has spoken out in interviews with Cosmopolitan, Amnesty International, and recently PAPER magazine. These restrictions are an unfortunate attempt by prison authorities to chill Chelsea’s voice.
Most disturbingly, these nonsensical charges, “will follow me through to any parole and clemency hearings, forever. I was expecting to be in minimum custody in February, but now years added,” Chelsea explained via phone.
Responding to the sentence in August, attorney Nancy Hollander said, “As Chelsea’s lawyer, I am horrified and angry about these convictions. This was a star chamber where Chelsea had to defend herself in secret. These convictions will not silence her. She will only be stronger and we will fight that much harder in her appeal to overturn her convictions and her sentence.”