Australia to Chelsea Manning: You're Not Welcome

Chelsea Manning won't be permitted to enter Australia for a speaking tour scheduled to kick off at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday after that country's Department of Home Affairs deemed the American classified document leaker failed to meet character requirements. While the Australian government won't address Manning's case specifically, per the AP, a person having a criminal record could cause them to fail the character test. Manning, a former US Army intelligence officer, was convicted of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks and served seven years in prison. Manning also has speaking dates scheduled in New Zealand. That country's government is still considering whether to grant her a "special direction" visa, which she would need due to her conviction. In a statement, Amnesty International says Australia's decision sends a "chilling message that freedom of speech is not valued." (More Chelsea Manning stories.)