Manning lawyer wants leak conviction reversed

WASHINGTON (AP) — Convicted leaker Chelsea Manning is asking an Army general to reverse her conviction and 35-year prison sentence for sending reams of classified information to WikiLeaks.

Defense attorney David Coombs says in a statement issued late Wednesday that he had taken the procedural step in the court-martial of the private previously known as Bradley Manning.

Manning is pursuing a legal name change, having declared a desire to live as a woman.

Under military law, Military District of Washington commander Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan can reverse or reduce the results of last year's court-martial. There is no prescribed deadline for his decision.

Coombs says the clemency filing includes more than 6,000 letters from Manning supporters and an Amnesty International petition with nearly 39,000 signatures.

Manning is imprisoned at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.