ACLU Coordinating Ed Snowden's Defense

from the good-news dept

Fri, Aug 16th 2013 2:07am — Mike Masnick

While much in the press is focusing on the supposed squabble between Ed Snowden, his father and his father's lawyer, Glenn Greenwald points out the actual important news hidden as a random aside in some of the news reports: the ACLU is now coordinating Ed Snowden's legal defense in the US. The Huffington Post article, notes:

The Wall Street Journal reported that the ACLU is helping coordinate Snowden’s legal defense in the U.S.

The full WSJ article is behind a paywall, but it states:

The elder Mr. Snowden participated in the chat from the Washington, D.C., office of his attorney, Bruce Fein, and was connected to his son with the help of Ben Wizner, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, who is involved in coordinating Mr. Snowden's legal defense in the U.S.

As Greenwald notes, that's very good news. It also suggests that the claims that Snowden's legal efforts are somehow in the hands of Julian Assange are also not true.

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Filed Under: aclu, ed snowden

14 Comments

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Scott Lazarowitz, 16 Aug 2013 @ 2:35am

Snowden's Defense
Is it really good news, and is such good "representation" really going to help?

It is difficult to have hope in these things given how Obama and his minions have treated Bradley Manning, John Kiriakou, Thomas Drake, (and al-Awlaki and al-Awlaki's teenaged son as well) and many others.

When the Rulers are a gang of criminals with a huge army of armed enforcers, defending oneself against their tyranny is nearly impossible.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Aug 2013 @ 2:38am

What about Bradly Manning?
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Aug 2013 @ 3:01am

if there is something that can be said or done by the Administration or any of the security agencies heads to paint Snowden as black as possible, it is going to be done! they are going to do the same with all people who learn the truth, pass on the truth and ultimately embarrass the government, regardless of who is the figurehead at the time. governmental control has gone way beyond the boundaries that ordinary people are willing to accept. when their shenanigans are revealed, they bring out whatever bull shit possible to cover arse and to pass the buck. look at how many times anything/one/everything/one has been blamed for doing whatever to try to take the heat off the government. the one thing that hasn't stopped is the spying. unless the people speak out forcefully, it wont stop! it isn't going to even be apologised for! those that are actually in charge of the USA are going to continue doing whatever the hell they like because what they want to do is more important than looking out for the people and doing what the people say. the paranoia must be at an all-time high!
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Aug 2013 @ 3:05am

Re:
God have mercy on his soul.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Aug 2013 @ 3:32am

Re: Snowden's Defense
There is a recipe for that:
1. Occupy a central square.
2. Get the police to not act against you.
3. Storm a larger prison and release the prisoners.
4. Occupy the area aronud and storm the rulers residences.
5. Chop-chop!
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Ninja (profile), 16 Aug 2013 @ 3:51am

Awesome! As popular pressure mounts and with ACLU's help he may, at least be able to travel to another country where he'll find peace. Even if he gets all cleared in the US I don't think he'll be able to return without being harassed somehow.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Aug 2013 @ 4:51am

"In The US" bolded and underlined

The Wikileaks folks seem to have full control over...well everything else. Along with the rights to sell his name on shit. Methinks in whatever it was said in that 2hr conversation, the father felt his son was being taken advantage of.
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out_of_the_blue, 16 Aug 2013 @ 6:32am

OR "elder Mr. Snowden" is being plagued and played by lawyers.
First, the sitch is pretty cut-and-dried as to legal problems. Lawyers don't need to dig in the books, can only yell like hell.
2nd, as something of a "paleo-conservative", I'm never going to fully trust the ACLU -- especially whenever they appear to be on the right side...
3rd, since I don't see the purpose of doing much at all so long as Snowden fils is "safe" in Russia, my bet is that "elder" is only being bled of funds.
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janette (profile), 16 Aug 2013 @ 6:47am

No attorney can defend Snowden in this country because his accusers are above the law.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Aug 2013 @ 7:24am

Re:
Even if the government doesn't go after him directly, there's plenty of wackos that will probably attack him anyways.
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Anonymous Coward, 16 Aug 2013 @ 7:27am

Re: OR "elder Mr. Snowden" is being plagued and played by lawyers.
Ha, if you were conservative at all you'd be pissed off at the country trampling the fourth amendment and tout Snowden as a hero.

You reek of neo republican that have completely forgotten their conservative roots while blindly goose stepping behind their religious leaders.
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Hephaestus (profile), 16 Aug 2013 @ 9:40am

Seriously on the sad side of way to funny....
With what we have seen revealed about the NSA's spying in recent months, does anyone believe that this phone call was not being listened in on?
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AzureSky (profile), 16 Aug 2013 @ 3:25pm

if hes stupid enough to come back into this country with oBomBa in office.....hes gonna endup dead....almost a certainty.....

if not by govt direct hands then by somebody who buys the govt bs that hes a trator...

if hes smart, he will just try and find a place to fade away and settle down....
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Aug 2013 @ 3:00am

Hopefully he never has to use that defense, any time soon. It'll take at least 10 years before the dust settles enough for Snowden to even think about returning to the US. That is, if he want's a fair trial.

A fair trial may never happen. In which case, I hope he stays out of Dodge.
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