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Snowden: Would return to U.S. with guarantee of fair trial

ASSOCIATED PRESS

In this image released by Radius TWC, Edward Snowden appears in a scene from “Citizenfour,” a documentary that intimately captures Snowden during his leak of NSA documents.

MANCHESTER, N.H. » Speaking via Skype from Russia, Edward Snowden tells an audience of supporters in New Hampshire that he is willing to be extradited to the United States if the federal government could guarantee he would get a fair trial.

The former National Security Agency contractor in 2013 leaked details of a secret government eavesdropping program and left the country. He faces U.S. charges that could land him in prison for up to 30 years.

Snowden spoke Saturday at the New Hampshire Liberty Forum, heavily attended by libertarians. He has previously spoken of making offers to the government to return home and even go to jail.

Saturday he said he asked for a guarantee of a fair trial where he can make “a public interest defense” then have jurors decide his case.

28 responses to “Snowden: Would return to U.S. with guarantee of fair trial”

  1. saywhatyouthink says:

    He should come back and face trial, it’s probably preferable to living the rest of his life in Russia. He has a fairly good chance the government will not be able to convince 12 people to convict him. He’s probably worried a judge could set aside the verdict and find him guilty anyway. There’s no question of his guilt, the only question is how much sympathy the jury will have for him.

  2. localguy says:

    “Fair trial?” Not going to happen in the USA with the government in total control in the judicial process.

    For a truly fair trial, USA would have to try him in court in either Sweden, Denmark, or Switzerland. Sad to say but true.

  3. localcitizen says:

    He’s a self serving traitor. He should have stayed in the US and faced his actions.

  4. Kukuinunu says:

    He made his choice, now he should stay with Vlad Putin……get a taste of some real ugliness in statecraft!

    • krusha says:

      Yep, seems like he sold his soul to Putin and regrets it. Russia is pretty much everything that he stands against yet they are his biggest ally right now. The enemy of my enemy is my friend…

  5. islandsun says:

    na stay in Russia. continue as Putins lap dog

  6. BuhByeAloha says:

    Some people look at him as a traitor. Some see that he exposed a government that was abusing their power and doing things to the American people that they shouldn’t be doing.

    • localcitizen says:

      And he could have worked at changing the system instead of making himself famous, infamous. People were hurt, we lost a lot because of his arrogant self important actions
      No. He’s not worth the effort of a trial. Justice is served with him stuck in Russia as said above. Perfect

    • mikethenovice says:

      Some people look at my fat dog as not wasting food when she steals it from her skinny sister.

  7. mikethenovice says:

    Fair what? And the American citizens would pay their taxes if it was spent wisely.

  8. mikethenovice says:

    No trail in Iran. Just sit here and get stoned to death.

  9. mikethenovice says:

    If Snowden came to Hawaii, he will be a hero. We treat the non residents better than the residents here.

  10. mikethenovice says:

    Doesn’t really matter if he is found guilty. In America, we treat our inmates with the red carpet service.

  11. cojef says:

    Whatever he considers “fair”? A heroes homecoming? Waiting for accolades from the left or right? Putin is putting the the buttons.

  12. Bdpapa says:

    Sorry, no sympathy for this guy. He chose his course. I don’t want him to go to trial. Exile is much better punishment for him!

  13. Paloha81 says:

    This guy’s nothing more than a government contractor and failed government worker who should spend the rest of his days in Russia. It’s ironic that he would expose US government secrets as if the US were some ominous bad guy, yet he’s in Russia…the Mecca of personal freedoms and transparency. What a joke…let him rot there.

  14. sailfish1 says:

    Snowden elected to stay in Russia and now is having second thoughts. Too late – stay in Russia. The U.S. doesn’t want him back and we don’t want to have a long drawn out EXPENSIVE trial for him.

  15. Makua says:

    Snowden really wants to return to Oahu where he once lived. Besides he needs a tan.

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