The myth of the United States as an inherently benevolent power is one that has permeated our culture since the country's founding. Any objective look at what the U.S. has done will tell you that this is entirely false, but the myth is so strong that almost everyone buys into it.

Sometimes, there are people who expose this myth for the lie that it is. And for that, they are punished and silenced.Nowhere is this more clear than the case of Chelsea Manning. Chelsea Manning was an intelligence analyst in Iraq who, in 2010, leaked information to Wikileaks about U.S. war crimes during the "war on terror." The documents she released revealed:

- The wars had significantly higher numbers of civilian casualties than the Pentagon had previously admitted to.

- The U.S. government had routinely ignored reports of prisoner abuse.

- The State Department had put diplomatic pressure on countries to ignore illegal renditions carried out by the C.I.A.

- The U.S. had been complicit in supporting repressive regimes in the Middle East.

- Video evidence of U.S. soldiers laughing as they mow down innocent civilians.

After the leak, she was arrested and then transferred to a military brig in Virginia. Her treatment at the facility was nothing less than horrifying, as she was kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day for nearly a year. The United Nations even considered the U.S.' treatment of Manning to be in violation of the convention against torture. The UN also said that Manning was treated so cruelly, "in an effort to coerce [her] into 'cooperation' with the authorities, allegedly for the purpose of persuading [her] to implicate others."

Manning was eventually transferred. Unfortunately, this victory was short-lived, as in August of 2013, she was sentenced to 35 years in prison. The justification was that she had irrevocably damaged the U.S. However, this assertion was dispelled by both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Manning's sentence was overly harsh and cruel, especially considering what the government had put her through already. The ACLU considered the sentence to be unconstitutional, as Manning was the only whistle-blower in U.S. history to be sentenced to decades of imprisonment. She was also charged under the obscure 1917 Espionage Act. This act was not cited for decades after it was passed, but the Obama Administration has used it consistently in order to crack down on whistle-blowers.

Also, leaks of classified information happen all the time from the highest levels of government. The difference is that these leaks promoted, according to the ACLU, "the government's chosen messages." Indeed, while the Obama Administration often ignores leaks that paint the Administration's actions in a good light, they repress leaks that don't fit their narrative.

Moreover, government officials oftentimes leak information for their own personal gain. Leon Panetta revealed classified information about the Bin Laden raid to the producers of "Zero Dark Thirty" while he was C.I.A. Director. David Patraes leaked classified information to his biographer and avoided any serious felonies. Both of these people got mere slaps on the wrists for leaking classified intelligence.

Consistently ignoring leaks by government officials while sentencing a trans woman to 35 years in prison for leaking evidence of war crimes is profoundly unjust. Unfortunately, that is not nearly the end of the cruel treatment of Chelsea Manning.

A day after her sentencing, Manning revealed that she was trans and sought to start transitioning. Unfortunately, the government sought to oppose her on this front as well.

Despite the fact that transition is considered medically necessary for those with gender dysphoria, the U.S. government delayed for almost a year in allowing Manning to access hormone therapy. Eventually, after a federal lawsuit from the ACLU, Manning was finally able to access hormones.

But even this was a hollow victory. Manning was still forced to serve her sentence in an all-male facility. She was not even allowed to grow her hair out as this would apparently pose a "significant security risk."

Not all has been terrible for Manning fortunately. In February of 2015, Manning was able to join The Guardian as a contributing op-ed writer. She was also able to join Twitter, by dictating to intermediaries over the phone.

Unfortunately, these victories have made the government try even harder to silence her. Last year, she faced possible indefinite solitary confinement for having a slightly expired tube of toothpaste, Caitlyn Jenner's Vanity Fair article and for brushing food on the floor. As she preparing to represent herself at her hearing, none of her lawyers were allowed to attend and she was barred from accessing the legal library.

Fortunately, the immense public pressure on the government forced them to relent. Manning was spared from indefinite solitary confinement, though her recreational privileges were revoked for several weeks.

But recently, things have taken a turn for the worst. Earlier this month, Manning attempted suicide and was hospitalized. The attempt has resulted in her facing a new set of charges which could result in her being put in indefinite solitary confinement.

Even if you disagree with everything Chelsea Manning has done, you cannot deny that putting a woman in indefinite solitary confinement for surviving a suicide attempt is monstrous beyond belief. Even if Manning manages to avoid indefinite solitary confinement this time, it will probably not be the end of her mistreatment.

Manning deserves a full pardon. She did the right thing by refusing to stay silent after witnessing the crimes committed by the U.S. military. And for that, she has suffered endlessly at the hands of the U.S. government. If she did what she did with any other country, she would have been given a medal.

You can see Chelsea Manning's writing here and follow her on Twitter here. You also can send letters of support to this address. Finally, you can also support the movement to free her here.