Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Another Award for Edward Snowden

In a foreign country, of course.
Whistleblower Edward Snowden received several standing ovations in the Swedish parliament after being given the Right Livelihood award for his revelations of the scale of state surveillance.

  The Guardian
So, where’s the offer of asylum in Sweden?
Philanthropist Jakob von Uexküll, who established the award in 1980, told the parliament: “So Mr Snowden, your Right Livelihood Award is waiting for you. We trust that Sweden will make it possible for you to collect your award here in Stockholm in person in the very near future.”
But don’t hold your breath. Maybe some time before you die.
The awards jury, in its citation, said Snowden was being honoured “for his courage and skill in revealing the unprecedented extent of state surveillance violating basic democratic processes and constitutional rights”.
Isn’t it strange that this is happening? Internationally, we have become the old Soviet Union.
The Guardian editor, Alan Rusbridger, was also among the recipients. The jury citation said his award was in celebration of “building a global media organisation dedicated to responsible journalism in the public interest, undaunted by the challenge of exposing corporate and government malpractices”.

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