German ‘Whistleblower Prize’ to Edward Snowden
Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who uncovered the most extensive US global electronic surveillance programmes, has been awarded German “Whistleblower Prize” for year 2013 worth $3,900 in absentia.
The prize jury recognized Snowden’s great public service exposing the massive and unsuspecting monitoring and storage of communication data by US and other western intelligence agencies, which cannot be accepted in democratic societies. The jury acknowledged that Snowden took great personal risks in leaking the documents on the operations of the US and other western intelligence agencies, aware of the current criminal prosecution of whistleblowers in security areas.
About German Whistleblower Prize:
The Whistleblower Prize was instituted in 1999 by the German section of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA) and the Association of German Scientists. It is awarded once in two years to honor persons, who “expose in public interest grave social injustices and dangerous developments for individuals and the society, democracy, peace and environment“.
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Month: Current Affairs - July, 2013
Category: Awards, Honours & Persons in News