"USA must not hunt down whistleblower Edward Snowden " -- Amnesty

USA must not hunt down whistleblower Edward Snowden

Snowden’s right to seek asylum must be respected

The US authorities must not prosecute anyone for disclosing information about the government’s human rights violations, Amnesty International has said today after the US whistleblower Edward Snowden was charged under the USA’s Espionage Act. 

The organisation also believes that the National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower could be at risk of ill-treatment if extradited to the USA.

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Amnesty International’s Senior Director of Law and Policy Widney Brown said:  “No one should be charged under any law for disclosing information of human rights violations by the US government. Such disclosures are protected under the rights to information and freedom of expression

“It appears he is being charged by the US government primarily for revealing its and other governments’ unlawful actions that violate human rights.

“Regardless of where Snowden ends up he has the right to seek asylum. For such a claim to succeed, he must demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution. Even if such a claim failed, no country can return a person to another country where there is a substantial risk of ill-treatment.

“His forced transfer to the USA would put him at great risk of human rights violations and must be challenged.”

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=20838