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

[Luminous Animal]

Source: The Guardian

The United Nations's top human rights official has suggested that the United States should abandon its efforts to prosecute Edward Snowden, saying his revelations of massive state surveillance had been in the public interest.

The UN high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, credited Snowden, a former US National Security Agency contractor, with starting a global debate that has led to calls for the curtailing of state powers to snoop on citizens online and store their data.

"Those who disclose human rights violations should be protected: we need them," Pillay told a news conference.

"I see some of it here in the case of Snowden, because his revelations go to the core of what we are saying about the need for transparency, the need for consultation," she said. "We owe a great deal to him for revealing this kind of information."

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/16/edward-snowden-should-not-face-trial-un-human-rights-commissioner-navi-pillay?CMP=twt_gu

[Demeter]

1. Thank you, Madame Commisioner, from the bottom of my heart

I'm sure I speak on behalf of all humans. Those who don't agree probably are mechanical engines of death like Darth Cheney, not human.

[truth2power]

2. So what??

The US is exceptional!! Isn't that what our Great Leader is always telling us?

We don't need no stinkin' human rights official tellin' us what to do. No indeedy.

USA! USA!

[ballyhoo]

3. Thank you, High Commissioner Pillay. Very important to the world for you

to be stating that, and also important to me who realizes what Snowden did, virtually postponing our entrance to fascism for at least a brief time. The US will most probably not follow your suggestion either directly or in actuality. Snowden should stay where he is for as long as he can. There should be emerging States that may one day take him.

[MannyGoldstein]

5. Nothing new here, people.

Pillay mentioned this months ago on some phone calls she made to friends. It's all under control.

And there were a few other things on those calls that... well, let's just say that Ms. Pillay may want to do some favors for us down the line, or certain information could fall into the wrong hands.

Regards,

NSA Manny

[vlakitti]

7. Well...

That was mean.

[Overseas]

6. K&R. Glad to hear it.

[Dustlawyer]

8. Under the definition he is clearly a whistleblower. It is like the "Cleetus the Ammosexual" vid

that is on the front page right now. He wants to carry his guns in public sooo bad that he comes up with crazy conspiracies, name calling.... They want the surveillance soooo bad that Snowden cannot be a whistleblower because that would mean that what they are doing is wrong, out of bounds, unconstitutional whatever!

[Recursion]

10. How? He revealed legal government activity.

It's legal government activity we wish weren't legal, but still.

Drake was a whistleblower in 2005. Congress (including then-Senator Obama) nearly broke its neck rushing back into session to make what Snowden revealed legal.

[Luminous Animal]

29. Slavery was legal in the US. But still?

[Recursion]

33. Was Harriet Beecher Stowe a "whistleblower"?

It's why I'm much more sympathetic with Drake than I am with Snowden, at any rate.

[questionseverything]

51. not legal

60,000 warrants at a time is not legal

nsa spying on citizens and forwarding tips to dea, dea doing a parallel construction, not legal

nsa picking winners and losers in business not legal

nsa reinventing english language by secretly interpreting the patriot act's "relevant to mean everything",not legal

solicitor general has lied to the sc twice over this illegal activity

i am not gonna bother to link up because anyone paying attention should know this is going on.these are just examples off the top of my head

if you and other random individuals do not believe in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, i guess that is your choice but it is still the law off the land

[Recursion]

53. What law does it violate?

The law that Congress (including then-Senator Obama) passed after Drake's leak is pretty clear in its vagueness. What part of what Snowden revealed do you consider illegal?

[questionseverything]

58. the 4th amendment is still the law of the land

the patriot act/telecommunications act do not over rule it...it would take an amendment to do that

just because we currently have a corrupt supreme court that does not change

"building the haystack", or keeping files on every persons private communications without probable cause is illegal

[840high]

9. k/r

[treestar]

11. Why shouldn't he have to prove that?

Why is this person to be above the law?

[totodeinhere]

13. You have it backward. The accused are not required to prove their innocence.

They only have to establish reasonable doubt. It is up to the prosecution to prove guilt.

[George II]

14. Wish he was here so all of that could happen.

[wildbilln864]

17. why does he need to be here for that to happen?

they've been trying cases for decades even when the defendant is absent. He would be suicided if he came back.

[NealK]

46. +1

He sure would be.

[treestar]

52. Well he refuses to be prosecuted!

Or his supporters claim he should not even have to be in the position where the government even has to try to prove anything! Why the heck is he above the law?

[totodeinhere]

54. He is not above the law. He was granted temporary asylum in Russia in accordance

with international standards regarding such matters. Our country has granted asylum to a lot of people as well.

[treestar]

56. The sentiment here is that he should not have to face these charges

And the Russian-given asylum is political, not because he would truly be persecuted and not receive a fair trial.

[imthevicar]

12. Sometimes,

I wish their was a Like Button.

[Zorro]

15. Edward Snowden should face trial

He's earned his day in court.

[BillZBubb]

19. On what charges, Zero?

[Recursion]

34. The charges have been public for over a year now

The charges are theft, unauthorized communication of national defense information, and willful disclosure of classified communications to an unauthorized person. The last two are crimes under the 1917 espionage act. They would probably also hit him with misuse of a government computer (that basically hits every government employee, nowadays).

The one where they really have him dead to rights, IMO, is his description of our espionage activities against China to the South China Daily, which SCD alleges included which computers of theirs we had compromised and how.

[riderinthestorm]

36. He can't get a fair trial under the Espionage Act since he's barred from defending himself

http://pando.com/2014/01/22/how-whistleblowers-are-barred-from-defending-themselves-in-court/

The administration knows this.

[stevenleser]

37. That's Snowden's own fault for not attempting to use the whistleblower provisions before leaking to

the press.

[riderinthestorm]

38. Nope. As even the UN commissioner understands, the US didn't need to charge him at all

The Obama administration has chosen the.most punitive path instead.

Snowden is being lauded by an ever increasing number of people and countries.

[BillZBubb]

43. Certainly you are not that naive?

You know what happens to whistleblowers in the national security area, right?

[NealK]

47. I'm sure that he does.

[cascadiance]

39. But, but.... Snowden helped the Russians capture Jack Bauer!

We need to bring him back for trial on that shouldn't we? After all Audrey's dead because of his treason!

[DeSwiss]

16. K&R

- On the other hand......

[center]WANTED: For destruction of the environment, pollution of the electoral-process and grand theft of democracy and justice. Both are considered to be armed with paid security flunkies, deranged, and without a shred of a soul. Do not approach them as the stench of their characters alone can be over-powering. If you see either one of these individual run, don't call a cop. They own them too.

[/center]

[C Moon]

22. That is great!

[Uncle Joe]

28. If you could just put Nick Nolte's hair on them, DeSwiss.

[DeSwiss]

32. Anything for you Joe!

- Have Photoshop, Will cut & paste.....

[center][/center]

[Uncle Joe]

40. Now that's scary and evil, it captures their true essence.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

18. K&R n/t

[BillZBubb]

20. Ms. Pillay got it absolutely correct.

But the national security state and its minions will demand their pound of flesh since Snowden exposed them.

[George II]

21. Thankfully Ms. Pillay doesn't dictate American law

[Luminous Animal]

24. Thankfully, the UN takes human rights as seriously as our founders.

Our founders recognized those rights as universal. So does Ms Pillay.

[NealK]

48. Well said.

[JoeyT]

23. Well, at least now

right wing Democrats can finally join right wing Republicans in screaming about how awful the UN is.

[Luminous Animal]

25. Indeed.

[NealK]

49. Yep. Those Black Helicopters are really creepy!

[merrily]

26. I am glad for the revelations, as is Pillay.

Whether Snowden faces trial or not is indicative of what kind of society we have. As is the fact that Ellsberg says the case against him would not be dismissed today. As is the fact that the USG uses our tax money to violate our Constitutional rights--and with apparent impunity, I might add.

However, what happens to Snowden, as important as it may be to him and his family and friends, even as important as it may be for what it says about our country today, pales in importance to the last sentence of the prior paragraph of this post.

[Uncle Joe]

27. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Luminous Animal.

[Luminous Animal]

31. You are welcome, Uncle Joe.

[Stryst]

30. But, but...

sovereignity! The UN can't tell US what to do, cuz... you know, 'murica and stuff!

[billhicks76]

35. DUH!

It's the war machine perps who should be on trial. And the heads of the NSA who violated their oaths to protect the constitution. Don't forget NSA should've prevented 911 with their billions instead of running point for the DEA and chasing around those involved with the marijuana industry.

[iandhr]

41. Though I am no fan of the NSA stuff

Countries that are someone of the worlds worst human rights abusers including:


Vietnam
United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia
Russian Federation (but DU is pro-Russia now despite the anti-gay stuff)
Pakistan
Kazakhstan

are on the human rights council

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/CurrentMembers.aspx

So when the UN talks about human rights it should be taken with a grain on salt.

[FiveGoodMen]

42. Then he better stay out of US hands

Because we cannot be trusted.

(No, that's NOT sarcasm)

[randome]

50. He'd better stay right where he is. Because Russia CAN be trusted.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't ever underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]

[KoKo]

44. Recommend!

[woo me with science]

45. Hell, not only that...

He should be awarded the Medal of Freedom. If he had not come forth with these revelations, we would not have anything near the real chance, at least a chance, we have now to turn back our country from fascism.

[Blue_Tires]

55. OK...And??

Snowden should still face trial for the things he released that weren't in the public interest...

People are getting selective memories...

[BelgianMadCow]

57. interesting!

thanks for posting