The world’s largest activist network has come up with an online petition seeking political asylum for US surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden.
This is a message from Avaaz.org:
The world’s greatest whistleblower is stuck in the Russian winter, facing solitary confinement, ridicule, and life in prison if US agents grab him. But this week, we could help get him to safety.
Edward Snowden exposed the mind-boggling and illegal level of surveillance the US government is conducting on, well, all of us. His welcome in Russia runs out soon, and he’s got nowhere to go. But Brazilian President Dilma is angry at US surveillance and experts say she might brave massive US pressure to consider asylum for Snowden!
This is about much more than one man. If Snowden’s act of truth-telling leads to crippling punishment, it sends the wrong signal to abusive governments and whistleblowers everywhere. If 1 million of us take action now, we can send President Dilma the largest citizen-supported asylum bid in history — sign to safeguard Snowden and defend democracy everywhere.
And the petition itself:
To the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, and Minister of Justice, José Eduardo Cardozo:
As citizens from around the world deeply concerned with the massive violation of our privacy, we call on you to grant asylum to whistleblower Edward Snowden. As the leader of a global movement for internet freedom and privacy, Brazil is the perfect home for a man who sacrificed his life to disclose invasive and illegal US spying.
| Please help to support this blog if you can. Read the commenting guidlelines for this blog. |
This is certainly a moral dilemma. He certainly deserves to be praised for this expose. On the other hand he is bound by a confidentiality agreement. And which government in the world does not spy on others. Unfortunately, the US government is not breaking the law by spying, but only restrained by ambiguous codes of ethics. I know of practical surveillance technologies today that allow you to listen in on other peoples calls, etc. This technologies were on the rise since 911. How do we balance the need for security versus protecting our privacy. I am on the fence on… Read more »
Edward likely have many “secrets” (we call it OSA in Msia) to be revealed one day about the scandals in Malaysia Politics ? Whoever gets hold of them surely a big factor in winning GE14 ?