The campaign- which calls on Obama to pardon Snowden while he’s still in office- is spearheaded by the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International.
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The American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International have started a petition to “let President Obama know that the American people stand with Snowden”. At a press conference in NY, broadcast on Facebook Live, Romero spoke alongside representatives from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, arguing for President Barack Obama to pardon Snowden’s crimes.
“Snowden should be hailed as a hero”.
Snowden was charged by USA federal prosecutors in 2013 with theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence to an unauthorized person.
At PardonSnowden.org, the petition includes a countdown clock to the second until Obama leaves office and has gained signatures from luminaries such as Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Pentagon Papers whistle-blower Daniel Ellsberg whose disclosures revealed that the US government lied to Congress and the American public about the Vietnam War.
The screening comes on the same day his supporters called for President Barack Obama to pardon him. The site features a count down clock that will end when President Obama leaves office. But in a video interview from Moscow, the 33-year-old National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower said Obama should take into consideration that people had benefited from his actions. “These were vital things”, he said. Congress, the courts and the president all changed their policies as a result of these disclosures.
Though some government officials claimed that irreversible harm had been done to U.S. national security, little evidence has been aired publicly.
Romero also spoke about what happened after Snowden leaked documents that revealed USA government surveillance programs.
The campaign could receive a further lift from Oliver Stone’s film, Snowden, scheduled for release in the USA on Friday. Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told CNN in May that while Snowden should still face trial, he had performed a “public service” by triggering a debate over surveillance techniques.
“We are in much stronger place because of Edward Snowden’s courage”, Romero said. Mr. President, pardon Edward Snowden now. If convicted, he faces prison under the Espionage Act.
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The US government has charged Snowden with theft and two espionage violations for communicating defence information and communicating classified intelligence information to an unauthorized person. The White House maintains that Snowden’s leaks “damaged the United States”.
