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Series 2: 5. Chelsea Manning

Louis Theroux travels between New York City and Madrid to spend time with one of America’s most polarising figures – the Iraq War whistleblower, activist and data security expert Chelsea Manning.\n\nIn 2010, Manning - a US army intelligence analyst - released the largest set of classified documents in American history, resulting in a sentence of 35 years in a military prison for her actions. The trove included documents describing potential human rights abuse, the torture of prisoners, illegal state espionage by the US and more.\n\nBranded a traitor by some and a hero by others, Chelsea reveals what drove her to risk everything to make the documents public, as well as the enormous impact it has had on her life since. Louis and Chelsea also discuss her experience of incarceration, her mental health challenges, and exploring her identity whilst growing up in rural Oklahoma during a difficult childhood.\n\nLouis also joins Chelsea at a women’s summit in Madrid, gaining an insight into what her life has been like since being released from military prison in 2017, a decision that has split opinion in the US.

Source: BBC 1