New Zealand allows Chelsea Manning entry for speaking tour
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand authorities say Chelsea Manning can enter the country for a speaking tour, a day after organizers said she couldn't enter Australia.
Manning was convicted for leaking U.S. government secrets and would not normally qualify for entry into New Zealand under its good character provisions.
But Immigration New Zealand General Manager Steve Stuart said Friday that Manning had been granted a "special direction," allowing her to apply for a working visa for planned speaking events in Auckland and Wellington.
Stuart said the agency noted that Manning's sentence had been commuted by President Barack Obama in 2017, that she had not reoffended since being released, and that the chances of her offending while in New Zealand were low.
Australia, where the tour was to start Sunday, has similar good-character rules.