Snowden Says He Is Willing To Answer Questions From European Parliament, Which Also Wants Him To Go There In Person
from the would-that-be-wise? dept
European governments have shown themselves to be extremely reluctant to investigate the NSA and GCHQ surveillance of their populations -- probably because they knew about it and received information as a result. The European Parliament, by contrast, has been active here through its Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) committee, which is holding an "inquiry on electronic mass surveillance of EU citizens."
One person uniquely well placed to help any such investigation is, of course, Edward Snowden, and it appears he has now agreed to give evidence:
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has confirmed in writing that he is prepared to answer questions from the European Parliament's inquiry into the revelations of mass surveillance by intelligence services. He will at least respond in writing, possibly also via a recorded video message.
That information is posted on The Greens | European Free Alliance site, which goes on to say:
"It is clear that Edward Snowden will only be able to give us comprehensive information if he can be guaranteed a safe stay in Europe for a later in-depth testimony. Next week, the EP's civil liberties committee will decide if the European Parliament will call on EU governments to grant such protection. The Greens have pushed for this and continue to urge all political groups to support the move."
Given that the Bolivian President's jet was re-routed in Europe purely on suspicions that Snowden could be on board -- presumably at the behest of the US -- promises of "protection" won't be worth much. In any case, they're unlikely to be given for the same reasons European governments don't want to investigate this matter.
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Filed Under: edward snowden, eu parliament, gchq, nsa, privacy, whistleblower
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The EU is simply trying to pull a fast one to get their hands on this whistleblower.
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EU Parliament are only making noise because they love an excuse to overrule the member governments.
Its just a boring power struggle. I doubt they care about rights.
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Dialectical flow of cultures between states? Check.
Healthy attitude towards democracy? Check.
Healthy attitude towards human rights? Check.
Stable currency? We are working on that. Soon enough we will learn that each state is better off managing its own state currency, as opposed to an unnecessary accumulation of power under one Eurozone currency. But make no mistake we will learn that mistake and correct ourselves.
Silly UKIP fools, for example, loathe any and all unions except the construct of the UNITED Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Or even worse, equate the European Union with the Soviet Union. OR even worse, decide to pander to the worst forms of nationalism, isolationism and xenophobia whenever their "stable" culture is challenged.
Euroskeptic is actually a good title for anyone to adhere to, however, provided you avoid the mutated meaning of it (Eurohysteria would better describe such a mutation). Because it of course must follow that nothing is sacred, and the EU is no exception. But make no mistake about it: all its faults can be best tackled without having to throw away the good of it.
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AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
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That is to do what ever is in their interest, not Snowden's.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F4qzPbcFiA
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Really wish they understood tech better though, the idea that he could only give 'comprehensive information' in person is beyond ridiculous, considering available technology allows real-time discussions between two or more people, even if they're thousands of miles away from each other at the time.
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This should take some pressure off NSA for half of Wednesday.
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The question is, which country would permit this rendition to take place? Would the Germans, French, or Belgians stand up to the US despite their alleged unease with the spying on their citizens?
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