Chelsea Manning to speak at C2 Montreal this month

MONTREAL — Organizers of an annual Montreal business conference say American whistleblower Chelsea Manning is scheduled to participate in this year’s event.

C2 Montreal is billing the appearance later this month as Manning’s first international speaking engagement a little more than a year after her release from jail.

Organizers say in a statement the inmate rights and LGBTQ advocate will focus on gender discrimination in the tech industry.

The 30-year-old transgender was known as Bradley Manning when she was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking a trove of classified material in 2010.

She was convicted in 2013 and spent a total of seven years in jail until former president Barack Obama commuted her sentence in one of his final acts in office.

Manning tried to enter Canada last September to travel to Montreal and Vancouver, but was turned away at the border when officials determined her crimes were akin to a violation of Canadian treason laws.

The seventh edition of the conference is being held May 23-25.