U.N. Human Rights Commissioner: ‘We Need’ People Like Edward Snowden'

[bigtree]

Truthdig ‏@Truthdig 1h
‘We Need’ People Like Edward Snowden, U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Says http://bit.ly/1t5CyP3

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in a news conference Wednesday that Edward Snowden is a defender of human rights and should not be prosecuted.

“We owe a great deal to him for revealing this kind of information,” she said.

When asked specifically whether President Obama should pardon Snowden, Pillay acknowledged that he would first have to be convicted, but said, “I am raising right here some very important arguments that could be raised on his behalf so that these criminal proceedings are averted.”

Pillay’s office just released a report titled The Right to Privacy in the Digital Age, and she credits Snowden with initiating and informing a global debate on the subject.

Mona Rishmawi, head of the rule of law branch of Pillay’s office, said:

“In this particular case, the way we see the situation of Snowden is he really revealed information which is very, very important for human rights. We would like this to be taken into account in assessing his situation.”

All branches of government must be involved in the oversight of surveillance programmes, and completely independent civilian institutions must also monitor surveillance, Pillay says in her report. Checks on government must also be clearly understandable by the public.

read: http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/we_need_people_like_edward_snowden_says_un_human_rights_commissioner_201407

related:

Edward Snowden should not face trial, says UN human rights commissioner

Pillay declined to say whether President Barack Obama should pardon Snowden, saying he had not yet been convicted. "As a former judge I know that if he is facing judicial proceedings we should wait for that outcome," she said. But she added that Snowden should be seen as a human rights defender.

"I am raising right here some very important arguments that could be raised on his behalf so that these criminal proceedings are averted," she said . . .

[Vattel]

1. Pillay is wrong about one thing.

Pardons can be given preemptively. So no conviction is needed to pardon Snowden.

[BlueCheese]

4. Yup.

Wasn't Richard Nixon pardoned basically for anything he might have done in office?

[Vattel]

13. yes, and even the founders understood the power to pardon without conviction.

[malaise]

2. Get thee to the greatest page

Yes we do

[littlemissmartypants]

3. Kicking. Thank you. nt

[Jamaal510]

5. Yeah that's exactly what we need more of--

untrustworthy NSA employees who will give away more of our secrets to some of our biggest adversaries and perhaps putting Americans' lives in danger, and at the same time being unable to answer simple questions about the NSA's wrongdoings on a Brian Williams interview.

[bigtree]

6. where do you get this stuff?

. . . it's priceless.

. . . a Brian Williams interview.

[Aerows]

14. I'll take a thousand Edward Snowdens

that love their country enough to expose the ugliness to one person that tries to hide it. Sweeping evil under the rug has never worked out for any nation.

[Uncle Joe]

7. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, bigtree.

[riderinthestorm]

8. K&R and K&R and K&R..

[whistler162]

9. India appears to have a abundant

supply. At least according to recent news stories. But, why a UN commisioner thinks more rapists is a good thing is beyond me.

[Ichingcarpenter]

10. besides boxes and poll dancing snowden now is a rapist?

You need to get your stories straight.






The US has more rapes per capita than India

http://www.more.com/news/india-rape-capital-world

[Aerows]

15. Ah, conflation

That works so well.

[Katashi_itto]

11. K&R

[bigtree]

12. »