NEWS
EVENTS
The Edward Snowden Case
Wednesday 26th June 2013 | Abby
Russian President, Putin comments: “It’s like shearing a pig – lots of screams but little wool.” The pursuit of the man who is apparently amongst the most significant of all whistleblowers in the history of the NSA continues. As the Edward Snowden case intensifies, understanding what actually Snowden has done wrong and why he is being pursued can be difficult. So let’s take it back and break it down.
The Edward Snowden case continues to progress but fails to directly divulge why American whistleblower Snowden is being pursued, why his right to freedom of information sharing is being rejected by the US government? Recent developments in the case have been published that Snowden, after fleeing to Hong Kong, has now sought shelter in Russia, with the Russian Foreign Minister claiming they had no knowledge of the escapade’s plans. The US Goverment has appealed to Russia that they have an obligation to hand Snowden over to them, however, Putin declared Moscow would not extradite him.
Putin put it beautifully when he stated that people like Julian Assange and Edward Snowden:
“consider themselves human rights activists and say they are fighting for the spread of information. Ask yourself this: should you hand these people over so they will be put in prison? In any case, I'd rather not deal with such questions, because anyway it's like shearing a pig – lots of screams but little wool."
So why is the US Government pursuing Snowden? Edward Snowden is the former technical contractor for America’s National Surveillance Agency (NSA) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who leaked to the press the ins and outs of American and British governmental surveillance programs to The Guardian, which published these details – enlightening the rest of the world about what they had learned. What was revealed by Verax, Snowden’s codename and Latin for ‘teller of the truth’, involved the roles of USA’s NSA, which intercepts in telephone metadata, PRISM and Tempora (two USA clandestine national surveillance programs). Snowden first made contact with the press in January 2013 through what is known as ‘encrypted email’. The first leak came on 5th June, when The Guardian revealed that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC)forcibly has gained information about daily metadata for all phone calls throughout the USA, calling not only internationally but also nationally. Through Snowden’s attempt to inform the people about these surveillance agencies’ penetration of the private lives of USA citizens and visitors includes the fact that PRISM was set up for the NSA to access people’s emails, and internet search activity and history. The South China Morning Post on 12th June published an article divulging the claim that the NSA since 2009 has been breaking into, not only USA computers, but those in China and Hong Kong. Now closer to home, 21st June saw the exposure of the newly established British surveillance agency GCHQ construct Tempora to intercept the personal lives of the British.
As a result Snowden was charged with theft of governmental property, unauthorised communication about defence, and wilful classified intelligence communications to unauthorised persons (The Guardian). These allegations are enforceable under the Espionage Act, passed in 1917, which was originally constructed to prevent external interference of military operations or recruitment within the US, and prohibit supporting US enemies during wartime.
Snowden has certainly caused a stir for the USA, who knows exactly how it will directly affect the country’s international relations! It could be the end of overall international peace. What about people like Assange and Snowden? What should be the result? Arrest or allow them roam free? It is not much of a life: fleeing and seeking asylum, but these men do not need to be in jail, for they should be allowed the freedom of sharing information for which seemingly affects each and every individual.
What will happen to Edward Snowden, and more importantly what will be the international relations outcome of this case? We can only hope peace and mercy.
Written By Abby Donkin @AbbyDonkin
