[Peace-discuss] Despite US Pressure, EU Parliament Clears Path For Snowden Asylum

[David Johnson]

Despite US Pressure, EU Parliament Clears Path For Snowden Asylum

Description: Screen Shot 2015-10-30 at 1.20.08 PM


By Kevin Gosztola,
<https://shadowproof.com/2015/10/29/despite-us-pressure-european-parliament-
clears-path-for-snowden-asylum/> www.shadowproof.com
October 30th, 2015

In the face of global pressure from the United States, the European
Parliament passed a resolution which may pave the way for a European Union
country to grant asylum to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

By a vote of 285 to 281, members of Parliament called on EU 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 whistle-blower and international human rights
defender."

Snowden  <https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/659735556868435968> described
the development as a "game-changer" and
<https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/659741716782686208> added, "This is not
a blow against the U.S. government, but an open hand extended by friends. It
is a chance to move forward."

Jesselyn Radack, an attorney who has represented Snowden, reacted, "It is
very significant that the EU Parliament passed the resolution in support of
asylum for Edward Snowden."

"It would be wonderful for Western European countries to offer Snowden
asylum. The impediments, of course, are that a number of countries require
potential asylees to request asylum from inside the country of refuge, EU
countries have denied him access to their air space, and the EU resolution
is non-binding," Radack added.

She continued, "Nevertheless, this is a very encouraging development, both
symbolically and substantively."

The Parliament also approved a resolution by 342 to 274 votes, which
assessed the inaction by the European Commission and other EU institutions
and member states to recommendations Parliament made to respond to evidence
of mass surveillance of EU citizens.

On September 30, 2013, Radack and NSA whistleblowers Thomas Drake and Kirk
Wiebe testified before the European Parliament's Civil Liberties, Justice,
and Home Affairs Committee.  A statement from Snowden was read into the
record by Radack.

"The surveillance of whole populations rather than individuals threatens to
be the greatest human rights challenge of our time," Snowden
<https://shadowproof.com/2013/09/30/snowdens-statement-to-european-parliamen
tary-committee-on-greatest-human-rights-challenge-of-our-time/> declared.
"When I began my work, it was with the sole intention of making possible the
debate we see occurring here in this body and in many other bodies around
the world."

Radack reflected, "It is extremely gratifying that two years later, the
European Parliament passed its resolution on mass surveillance, which
contains a call on EU member states to protect Edward Snowden."

As the Washington Post
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-officials-scrambl
ing-to-nab-snowden-hoped-he-would-take-a-wrong-step-he-didnt/2014/06/14/057a
1ed2-f1ae-11e3-bf76-447a5df6411f_story.html> reported in 2013, "State
Department and CIA officials pressured countries seen as potential
destinations to turn Snowden away," reducing options to countries the U.S.
has treated adversarially.

One of those countries, Bolivia, actually saw the U.S.
<https://shadowproof.com/2013/07/05/us-ambassador-to-austria-reportedly-resp
onsible-for-false-claim-snowden-was-on-bolivian-leaders-plane/> scramble to
force down a plane with their president, Evo Morales, on board. He was
returning from Moscow, where he had insinuated Bolivia would support asylum.
U.S. officials had no specific information to suggest Snowden would be on
the plane but still enlisted "France, Spain, Italy and Portugal to block the
Bolivian president's flight home."

As German government officials were seriously considering granting asylum to
Snowden, the U.S.
<https://theintercept.com/2015/03/19/us-threatened-germany-snowden-vice-chan
cellor-says/> threatened to "cut off" Germany from intelligence on potential
terrorism threats against the country.

Scandinavian countries were
<http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/28/edward-snowden-fbi-norway-ex
tradite-julian-assange> sent a document from the U.S., which pressured the
country to arrest and extradite Snowden if he traveled to the country.
Similar messages were sent to European and Latin American countries.

Coercing countries not to grant someone asylum is an affront to this process
enshrined in international human rights law.

Although the Parliament's resolution is non-binding, it symbolically affirms
Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which says,
"Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from
persecution."

 

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