The European parliament is asking member states to grant Edward Snowden legal protection, calling him a "human rights defender." USA TODAY
The
The resolution, barely gaining approval by a 285-281
vote, was a symbolic nod to Snowden and snub to the
The resolution calls on
"Game-changer," Snowden tweeted, adding, "This is not a blow against the US Government, but an open hand extended by friends. It is a chance to move forward."
The
The resolution, barely gaining approval by a 285-281
vote, was a symbolic nod to Snowden and snub to the
The resolution calls on
"Game-changer," Snowden tweeted, adding, "This is not a blow against the US Government, but an open hand extended by friends. It is a chance to move forward."
The White House was unmoved by the developments in Europe.
“Our position has not changed,” Ned Price, spokesperson for the National Security Council, said in a statement. “Mr. Snowden is accused of leaking classified information and faces felony charges here in the United States. As such, he should be returned to the U.S. as soon as possible, where he will be accorded full due process.”
The EU vote came the same day a federal appeals court in New York refused to immediately halt the government's systematic collection of millions of U.S. phone records. A new federal surveillance plan set for November bans the mass collection anyway.
Snowden, 32, is a North Carolina native who worked
for the consulting firm
He was in hiding in
Several EU members rejected Snowden's request for asylum. The EU vote could encourage some nations to rethink that position.
"If Snowden traveled to a European country even now, the country could decide not to extradite him or stall the extradition," said Michelle Benson, a political science professor at the University at Buffalo who specializes in international conflict.
In June, the White House dismissed the idea of dropping the charges. Snowden has said he would return to the U.S. if he was guaranteed a fair trial. HIs Russian lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, said in March he had received a letter from then-Attorney General Eric Holder promising Snowden would not face capital punishment.
"They guarantee that Snowden will not be executed, not that he will receive a fair trial," Kucherena said.
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