Snowden sues in Norway to ensure he can't be extradited

[VivaRevolution]

Edward Snowden is suing to make sure he's not extradited to the US when he visits Norway


OSLO (Reuters) - Edward Snowden will take the Norwegian state to court in a bid to secure free passage there, a Norwegian law firm representing the former U.S. spy contractor said on Thursday.

Snowden has been invited to Norway to receive a freedom of speech award from the local branch of writers' group PEN International, but is worried that he would be handed over to the United States, his lawyers say.

"The purpose is to get legally established that Norway has no right to extradite Snowden to the U.S.," the law firm, Schjoedt, said in a statement.

"U.S. authorities have already asked that Snowden will be extradited to the U.S. if he was to arrive in Norway," Hallvard Helle, the lawyer representing Snowden, told Reuters.

"It is a case they (the Norwegian authorities) have not wished to comment on previously, so therefore we want a legal clarification of this," Helle said, when asked whether Norway had said it would extradite Snowden if he entered the country.

http://www.businessinsider.com/edward-snowden-wants-to-visit-norway-2016-4





Edward Snowden praises EU parliament vote against US extradition

Edward Snowden on Thursday hailed as “extraordinary” and a “game-changer” a vote in the European parliament calling on member states to prevent his extradition to the US.


The parliament voted 285-281 to pass a largely symbolic measure, a resolution that called on European Union member states to “drop any criminal charges against Edward Snowden, grant him protection and consequently prevent extradition or rendition by third parties, in recognition of his status as whistleblower and international human rights defender”.

Snowden has lived in exile in Russia since revealing secret US government surveillance programs in June 2013.

The European parliament is a directly elected legislature with members from all 28 EU member states. Its legislative authority is limited. The resolution amounted to a request that member states reject attempts by the US to arrest and prosecute Snowden.

“This is not a blow against the US government, but an open hand extended by friends,” Snowden tweeted. “It is a chance to move forward.”

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/29/edward-snowden-eu-parliament-vote-extradition

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The second story is to give context to the first. In one of the more under reported stories of last year, the EU ruled that Snowden was right, and that the US government is wrong, by giving him legal whistleblower protections in the EU.

This will be interesting to track as Snowden will no longer be confined to Russia, if he can guarantee he won't be extradited once in the EU, or atleast Norway in this specific case.

I mean I doubt Snowden will be visiting the UK anytime soon, but I would be very interested to see if Germany would extend an invitation if this precedent is set.

Discuss...............

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

Norway not being part of the EU should make this interesting.

 

[irish_thug]

Just throw him in a fjord.

 

[VivaRevolution]

Norway not being part of the EU should make this interesting.

I honestly did not know that. Looks like they are a member of the economic EU treaties, but not a member of the EU.

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

I honestly did not know that. Looks like they are a member of the economic EU treaties, but not a member of the EU.

Yeah they are part of the EEA but not EU.

As far as natural resources go in Europe, Norway is a jackpot country. I can see why they wouldnt want to join a Union that could infringe upon what is in their borders.

 

[NelmarksGhost]

Snowden hasn't had a heart attack. I think that says something about the US.

 

[Rex Kwon Do]

US should sever ties with Norway if they don't extradite him. It'd be a terrible precedent. Snowden committed a crime. It's clear. He needs to go on trial.

 

[jemimaman]

.

 

[Deleted member 484047]

US should sever ties with Norway if they don't extradite him. It'd be a terrible precedent. Snowden committed a crime. It's clear. He needs to go on trial.

He committed a crime in showing how the US was violating the rights of not only its own citizens, but the rights of foreign countries citizens as well.

Fuck going on trial, the guy is a hero.

 

[ShoelessRye]

Yeah, this guy really needs to go accept an award - lame ass reason really to cause all this fuss. I hope the plane has engine problems and needs to make an emergency landing in a country that will extradite him. Truth be told Obama doesn't want him back right now - and neither does Hillary especially.

 

[Rex Kwon Do]

He committed a crime in showing how the US was violating the rights of not only its own citizens, but the rights of foreign countries citizens as well.

Fuck going on trial, the guy is a hero.

Yeah, okay. That's how civil disobedience works, though. You commit a crime that you don't believe should be a crime and then get punished, or at least go on trial and get acquitted. But Snowden is a coward who wants all the praise the great men before him got--like Thoreau or MLK Jr.--but he doesn't want to go through the painful part. Imagine if MLK ran away and criticized race relations while staying in Moscow? His words would have had a fraction of the power they had compared to the power they had after he spent time sweating in jail cells for standing up for moral justice. Plus, going on trial is where he gets to make his case to the public and expose why the government was doing the wrong thing. But once again, he's unwilling to do that.

 

[VivaRevolution]

US should sever ties with Norway if they don't extradite him. It'd be a terrible precedent. Snowden committed a crime. It's clear. He needs to go on trial.

Well then the US should sever ties with the entire EU, as they voted for him to have legal whistleblower protections.

What laws do you think Snowden violated?

The fact is that Snowden did not have a legal whistleblower path as proven by Willian Binney, J. Kirk Weebe, and Thomas Drake.

 

[VivaRevolution]

Yeah, okay. That's how civil disobedience works, though. You commit a crime that you don't believe should be a crime and then get punished, or at least go on trial and get acquitted. But Snowden is a coward who wants all the praise the great men before him got--like Thoreau or MLK Jr.--but he doesn't want to go through the painful part. Plus, going on trial is where he gets to make his case to the public and expose why the government was doing the wrong thing. But once again, he's unwilling to do that.

LOL, Snowden has offered to face trial if he is given a public, non-military trial.

The idea that Snowden should "face the music" in a military tribunal, with zero public disclosure, is insane.

 

[Rex Kwon Do]

Well then the US should sever ties with the entire EU, as they voted for him to have legal whistleblower protections.

What laws do you think Snowden violated?

The fact is that Snowden did not have a legal whistleblower path as proven by Willian Binney, J. Kirk Weebe, and Thomas Drake.

Passing classified information to the press is illegal. There were paths for him within the organization to blow the whistle. He thought that wouldn't bring any change. Ok, maybe he's right. Then blow the whistle and go on trial. Don't blow the trial then run away, take pot shots, and puss out by begging not to be held accountable.

See my last post for an explanation of why this is a bitch move.

 

[VivaRevolution]

Yeah, this guy really needs to go accept an award - lame ass reason really to cause all this fuss. I hope the plane has engine problems and needs to make an emergency landing in a country that will extradite him. Truth be told Obama doesn't want him back right now - and neither does Hillary especially.

You realize he is being forced to live across the street from a FSB field office right?

I doubt he enjoys that. He is probably looking for any excuse to get out of Russia.

 

[Rex Kwon Do]

LOL, Snowden has offered to face trial if he is given a public, non-military trial.

The idea that Snowden should "face the music" in a military tribunal, with zero public disclosure, is insane.

He has no reasonable argument for why he won't be given a fair trial other than his own persecution complex brought on by his massive ego.

 

[VivaRevolution]

Passing classified information to the press is illegal. There were paths for him within the organization to blow the whistle. He thought that wouldn't bring any change. Ok, maybe he's right. Then blow the whistle and go on trial. Don't blow the trial then run away, take pot shots, and puss out by begging not to be held accountable.

See my last post for an explanation of why this is a bitch move.

No ,there were not paths for him to legally blow the whistle.

Do you know who William Binney, J. Kirk Weebe, and Thomas Drake are?

 

[Rex Kwon Do]

You realize he is being forced to live across the street from a FSB field office right?

I doubt he enjoys that. He is probably looking for any excuse to get out of Russia.

He probably sold them some info already.

Or they took it from him gratis.

 

[VivaRevolution]

He probably sold them some info already.

Or they took it from him gratis.

You probably worship the devil.

Both your statement and mine, have equal amounts of supporting evidence.

 

[Rex Kwon Do]

No ,there were not paths for him to legally blow the whistle.

Do you know who William Binney, J. Kirk Weebe, and Thomas Drake are?

I scanned through some stuff about them but it was on a pro-Russian anti-American conspiracy theorist's blog so forgive me if my eyes glazed over and I moved on without absorbing much.

Regardless, even if we accept that what he did was morally right, it was still not legal. You can say the system was rigged, he had no other option, whatever.I can grant you that and still my argument remains. He broke the law, he needs to go on trial. Then he can make his case.