Blog of Rights / ACLU
Edward Snowden deserves immunity from prosecution, says ACLU chief. (Credit: Laura Poitras)Edward Snowden is a patriot.
As a whistleblower of illegal government activity that was sanctioned and kept secret by the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government for years, he undertook great personal risk for the public good. And he has single-handedly reignited a global debate about the extent and nature of government surveillance and our most fundamental rights as individuals.
"Snowden awakened the American people – and
others across the globe – from complacent lethargy. For his actions,
Snowden should be applauded, not vilified. He should be granted full
immunity from prosecution. And he should be allowed to resume his life
in the United States as a proud American citizen."Monday's court ruling declaring the NSA surveillance program unconstitutional highlights the irony of the government’s prosecution of Snowden. For more than 12 years, the ACLU has raised concerns about the massive changes occurring in our democracy: the rubber stamping of expansive surveillance powers by the judiciary, the clandestine nature of programs that invade the rights and lives of millions of Americans with virtually no oversight, and the quiet acquiescence of a public that believed that individuals had nothing to fear if they had done nothing wrong.
That was true until Snowden awakened the American people – and others across the globe – from complacent lethargy. For his actions, Snowden should be applauded, not vilified. He should be granted full immunity from prosecution. And he should be allowed to resume his life in the United States as a proud American citizen.
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