End Action Against Snowden:CSOs Worldwide Tell Obama

Tuesday, August 6, 2013: One Hundred and Fifty-Seven civil society organisations defending human rights, digital rights and media rights from countries around the world, including Media Rights Agenda (MRA), today sent a joint letter to United States President Barack Obama, asking him to end the prosecution of U.S. whistleblower, Edward Snowden, and other whistleblowers like him.
Edward Snowden’s disclosures have triggered a necessary and long-delayed public debate about mass surveillance online everywhere. Because of him, we have learned that much of our online life is being systematically intercepted and monitored by governments.
Unfortunately however, rather than investigate and prosecute those that have ordered and conducted one of the most unprecedented global violations of our rights, the US government has chosen to figuratively shoot the messenger, and European governments have been quick to help. They have revoked his passport, interfered in and obstructed his search for asylum, even impeding the travel of a sovereign president in their desire to punish the messenger.
Worse is the effect this manhunt will have on governments that rely on the US example. They will justify their own attacks on their own whistleblowers and journalists who put themselves at significant risk to expose or report wrongdoing, corruption, or other dangers to society.
So together we are calling on President Obama to protect not prosecute whistleblowers, and carry out a full, public investigation into the legality of the National Security Agency’s actions.
Attached is the text of the letter to President Obama with the full list of signatories. The locations of the signatories have also been geocoded with Google Fusion Tables to show their spread worldwide! The image is attached and is also available online at: http://www.article19.org/data/images/campaigns/13_08_obama_whistleblowers/map2.jpg