After Manning's Reprieve, Attention Turns to Fate of Snowden and Assange

Obama's intervention will see transgender Manning, born Bradley, released from prison in May 2017, shaving 27 years off her original 35-year sentence for leaking 700,000 sensitive military and diplomatic classified documents to WikiLeaks in 2010.

Manning's reprieve has also led to calls for another whistleblower, Edward Snowden, to be pardoned for disclosing classified information about the US government's bulk surveillance programs.

​Former National Security Agency (NSA) employee Snowden, who has been living in exile in Russia since 2013, is facing charges of violating the US Espionage Act and theft of government property, which could see him spend decades in prison.

"We also hope President Obama will take the logical next step by pardoning NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, whose release of information the president himself recognized has led to an important public debate," said Sarah St. Vincent, national security and surveillance researcher of campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW).

​Amnesty International echoed the sentiment, calling on Obama to "use his executive powers during his remaining days to pardon whistleblower Edward Snowden."

Like Manning's leaks, Snowden's revelations were instrumental in exposing illegal US government practices, with supporters of the former NSA employee arguing that his leaks to journalists, and their subsequent publication, justify being pardoned.

​"The resulting stories spurred significant reforms and two independent review panels in the US, as well as important developments at the United Nations and globally, where the right to privacy was recognized as endangered in this digital age," said HRW general counsel Dinah PoKempner.

Will Assange Hand Himself in?

The debate over the fate of whistleblowers has also led to questions about the future of WikiLeaks founder and editor-in-chief Julian Assange.

Last week WikiLeaks tweeted:

Following the decision to commute a large slice of Manning's sentence, Assange released a statement describing her as "a hero, whose bravery should have been applauded not condemned."

He also called for the US government to "immediately end its war on whistleblowers and publishers, such as WikiLeaks and myself", however he made no mention of his Twitter pledge to hand himself in and whether he intends to honor it.

​WikiLeaks' Twitter statement has led to speculation that Assange, who has been living in London's Ecuadorian embassy since 2012, might be close to ending his four-and-a-half-year exile in the building.

Melinda Taylor, a member of Assange's legal team, indicated that the WikiLeaks would follow up on his pledge.

"Everything that he has said he's standing by", she said.

​The US justice department has never announced any indictment of Assange and it is unclear whether any charges against him have been brought under seal. However, the department has acknowledged that the FBI is investigating WikiLeaks' publication of classified documents.

The Australian is also the subject of a European arrest warrant over sexual assault claims allegedly committed in Sweden.