September 14, 2016
Today, a coalition that includes Amnesty International is launching a campaign to call on President Obama to pardon Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who exposed extensive global surveillance programs and now faces decades in prison. This memo includes short background, messaging, and links to more information.
Edward
Snowden was a government contractor who shared U.S. intelligence
documents with journalists in 2013, revealing that the government
accessed millions of people’s telephone and internet records without
their consent – a violation of millions of people’s human rights. His
actions sparked global discussion about privacy rights, and led
governments and corporations to change their policies. But the U.S.
government pursued serious criminal charges against Snowden, and he has
lived in exile since 2013.
From
the outset, Amnesty International has said that Snowden should not be
prosecuted for exposing human rights violations. Here is a link to Amnesty’s statement in July 2013. Today, PardonSnowden.org is being launched. The campaign launch coincides with this Friday’s release of “Snowden,” a new film directed by Oliver Stone that is expected to help increase public awareness and engagement in the case.
Here is a link to AIUSA’s press release that you can share or forward, and our social media platforms have graphics and links to more information that you can repost and share. In addition, Snowden’s case will be featured in Write for Rights later this year.
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