Edward Snowden would be willing to return to US for fair trial

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Edward Snowden would be willing to return to US for fair trial

Former NSA contractor tells supporters he would present public interest defence
if he appeared before American jury

Jamie Grierson
Sunday 21 February 2016 11.37 GMT

Edward Snowden has told supporters he would be willing to return to the US if the government could guarantee a fair trial.

The former National Security Agency contractor, who has been living in Russia since June 2013, said he would present a public interest defence of his decision to leak thousands of classified intelligence documents if he appeared before a US jury. “I’ve told the government I would return if they would guarantee a fair trial where I can make a public interest defence of why this was done and allow a jury to decide,” Snowden told a libertarian conference, the New Hampshire Liberty Forum.

Snowden, who was speaking via Google Hangouts, faces US charges under the Espionage Act that could land him in prison for up to 30 years.

In May 2013, Snowden flew to Hong Kong after leaving his job at an NSA facility in Hawaii. The following month he revealed thousands of classified NSA documents, and then travelled to Russia, where he was subsequently granted asylum.

The documents revealed the existence of mass surveillance programmes run by the NSA and British intelligence agency GCHQ, which involved the bulk interception of phonecalls and internet traffic.

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/21/edward-snowden-willing-to-return-to-us-fair-trial

[yourpaljoey]

1. He better wait until Bernie is president

Obama can not be trusted

[ohheckyeah]

2. Is he crazy? No way can he get a fair trial. N/t

[yourpaljoey]

4. Not unless water boarding and solitary with zero outside contact are considered a fair trial

[ohheckyeah]

20. Yep.

[giftedgirl77]

3. Hahahaha, poor Eddie.

[yourpaljoey]

5. A hero to Sanders supporters

[krawhitham]

7. not all

[name not needed]

12. A hero to people who give a shit about the 4th Amendment.

Aka, not Hillary voters.

[ohheckyeah]

21. I'm a Hillary voter and I give a big

Shit about it. I think snowden is a modern day hero.

[djean111]

6. If Hillary or any of the GOP crowd was president, he would just be "made an example of".

To teach a lesson about whistle-blowing. Just like sending children back into danger.

[davidn3600]

8. He'll never get a fair trial

The government will stack the deck against him.

The government is far more interested in sending a message than getting justice. They will make an example out of him.

[vdogg]

11. He leaked intelligence about foreign operations.

He should be made an example of.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

18. Exactly n/t

[hifiguy]

17. He would be lucky not to be disappeared

on the way back.

[vdogg]

9. If he had just leaked information about domestic spying

This would be a fine defense, but he didn't, and it's not. He leaked information about ongoing foreign intelligence operations, so all bets are off. In his efforts to be seen as a savior, he failed to do due diligence and put overseas operations and operatives in danger. He better keep his ass in Russia, if I was on that jury I'd vote to convict.

[MohRokTah]

10. I HOPE this spy coes back

I'd love to see him rot in prison for the rest of his life.

[Luminous Animal]

13. He has been saying this for years.

[SidDithers]

14. Must be cold in Moscow...nt

Sid

[Blue_Tires]

15. Snowflake goes nowhere until the Russians let him

So he's just spewing noise...

[hifiguy]

16. He stands about as much chance of getting a "fair trial"

as I do of flapping my arms and flying to the Moon.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

19. Screw him

There were legal avenues to follow if he were truly concerned about privacy violations.

Let him stay in Russia.

[UTUSN]

22. Would he also accept whatever the results of said fair trial?

Last edited Sun Feb 28, 2016, 11:17 AM - Edit history (1)

ON EDIT:

Would he also be able to demand a fair trial from Senor PUTIN?