Snowden nominated for European ‘thought’ prize
September 11, 2013, 3:33 pm
Snowden spent five weeks in transit waiting to hear of his fate [AP]
Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency whistle-blower who leaked to the media critical intelligence on US domestic and foreign surveillance, has been nominated for a European Parliament prize acknowledging efforts in freedom of thought and human rights.
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is named after Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov.
Former Secretary-General Kofi Annan and South Africa’s Nelson Mandela have previously received this award.
Snowden was nominated in the European Parliament by the European United Left/Nordic Green Left group who said that “whistleblowers cannot be treated like criminals, they must have our protection.”
He “risked his life to confirm what we had long suspected regarding mass online surveillance, a major scandal of our times,” the group said in a statement.
The nominations will be announced on September 16 with the winner declared in October. The awards ceremony will be held in December.
![Snowden spent five weeks in transit waiting to hear of his fate [AP]](http://thebricspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/AP381919212814-300x217.jpg)
