Several human rights organizations will soon launch a campaign urging President Obama to pardon NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, coinciding with the premiere of the Oliver Stone biopic based on his life. Motherboard reports that the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and other groups will formally announce the news on Wednesday, although a largely password-protected website is already online. The project will involve a “mass signature campaign around the world,” as well as an effort to get “prominent individuals and organizations” to support the cause.
Snowden currently stands accused of violating the Espionage Act for his 2013 document leaks, and the Obama administration has already denied public requests to pardon him. Last year, homeland security and counterterrorism advisor Lisa Monaco responded to an official White House petition, saying that Snowden’s “dangerous decision” to release classified material revealing American mass surveillance programs “had severe consequences for the security of our country.” – READ MORE
