NZ grants visa to US whistleblower

Canberra – New Zealand yesterday cleared the way for US soldier-turned-whistleblower Chelsea Manning to enter the country for a series of speaking events, a day after neighbour Australia moved to refuse her a visa.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) confirmed in a statement that a special direction has been granted to Manning, meaning she is free to apply for a work visa to come to New Zealand for two planned speaking events next week.

Manning, a former army intelligence analyst who served in the Iraq war, leaked thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents in 2010 via Wikileaks.