Snowden nominated for the 2013 Sakharov Prize

Eric Snowden, the whistleblower behind the revelations regarding the electronic surveillance made by NSA, GCHQ and other intelligent services, has been nominated for the 2013 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the Greens/EFA group and GUE/NGL group.

The seven nominees for the 2013 Sakharov Prize were presented at a joint meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Development committees and the Human Rights Subcommittee on 16 September 2013. The prize is awarded to honour individuals or organisations who make invaluable contributions to advancing human rights and fundamental freedoms.

EDRi member Article 19, supported by EDRi, wrote a letter to support Edward Snowden’s nomination:

“The Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought is awarded to individuals actively working to defend human rights and fundamental freedoms, in particular the right to free expression. We believe that Edward Snowden fully meets these criteria and is a worthy recipient of this prize.

As you know, in May 2013, Snowden revealed the extent to which the fundamental human rights to freedom of expression and privacy of millions of people around the world have been threatened by blanket surveillance by national security agencies. By doing so, and at great personal risk, he has shown enormous courage to stand up for human rights protection, and principles of openness, democracy and accountability.

We strongly encourage you to award the Sakharov prize to Snowden in honour of his courage and commitment to values that the prize represents.”

In the next steps, the Foreign Affairs and Development Committees and Human Rights Subcommittee will hold another joint meeting on 30 September 2013 to vote on the short list of the three finalists. The laureate will be chosen by the Parliament’s Conference of Presidents on 10 October 2013 in Strasbourg and invited to the award ceremony on 20 November 2013, also in Strasbourg.

2013 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought – seven nominations
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/content/20130916IPR20013/html/2013-Sakharov-Prize-for-Freedom-of-Thought-seven-nominations

ARTICLE 19 supports Snowden’s nomination for EU’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought (19.09.2013)
http://www.article19.org/resources.php/resource/37250/en/article-19-supports-snowden%27s-nomination-for-eu%27s-sakharov-prize-for-freedom-of-thought