Will return to US if guaranteed a fair trial, says NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden
Snowden said he wanted a chance to make a “public interest defence” at the trial before jurors decide his case.
Whistleblower Edward Snowden said on Saturday that he was willing to be extradited to the United States if the federal government guaranteed him a fair trial. He said he wanted a trial where he can make a “public interest defence” and then have jurors decide his case. The former National Security Agency contractor was speaking to an audience of supporters, mostly libertarians, in New Hampshire via Skype from Russia, Associated Press reported.
In 2013, Snowden left the country after he leaked details of a secret government programme on global surveillance. He now faces espionage and theft charges in the US that can earn him a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. Later that year, he was granted asylum in Russia for three years and still lives there in an undisclosed location. Snowden spoke about making the government offers to return home and even go to jail, on earlier occasions.