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Hello!<br>
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In case you have not seen the article on EurActiv already.<br>
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Link:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.euractiv.com/pa/edward-snowden-deserves-sakharov-analysis-530027">http://www.euractiv.com/pa/edward-snowden-deserves-sakharov-analysis-530027</a><br>
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Original article:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.sydsvenskan.se/opinion/aktuella-fragor/lat-snowden-fa-sacharovpriset/">http://www.sydsvenskan.se/opinion/aktuella-fragor/lat-snowden-fa-sacharovpriset/</a><br>
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Professor Svallfors own tweet:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://twitter.com/StefanSvallfors/status/373357194172833792">https://twitter.com/StefanSvallfors/status/373357194172833792</a><br>
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Here's formal Sakharov info: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://mjuk.is/sakharov.pdf">http://mjuk.is/sakharov.pdf</a><br>
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Best regards.<br>
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//Erik<br>
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<big><big><big><big><b><small><small>Edward Snowden deserves the
Sakharov Prize</small></small></b><b> </b></big></big></big>
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<p>A deserving recipient of the 2013 Sakharov prize would be
the American whistleblower Edward Snowden, writes Stefan
Svallfors. By exposing the US Prism spying program, Snowden
made it possible for us to say ‘No – this is not a
development and a society we want’, he argues.</p>
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<p><em>Stefan Svallfors is Professor of Sociology at Umeå
University (Sweden) and the Institute for Future Studies
(Denmark). This op-ed was originally published in Swedish in
Sydsvenska dagbladet on 29 August 2013. </em></p>
<p>Since 1988, the European Parliament has awarded the Sakharov
Prize. According to its statutes, this is given to a person or
group "who made remarkable efforts to defend human rights and
fundamental freedoms" and thus "worked against intolerance,
fanaticism and oppression."</p>
<p>The award is given in memory of the Russian physicist Andrei
Sakharov (1921-1989), known as one of the men behind the
hydrogen bomb but even more as a Soviet dissident with his Human
Rights Committee and his defence of political prisoners.
Sakharov stands as a symbol of the individual human being who
dares to stand up against tyranny and oppression, even when the
personal cost is very high.</p>
<p>A most deserving recipient of the 2013 price would be the
American whistle blower Edward Snowden. In May, The Guardian
published his disclosure of the extensive, illegal and deeply
intrusive monitoring conducted by the American National Security
Agency. For this heroic effort Snowden has paid a heavy personal
price. He is hunted as an outlaw by the U.S. government, accused
of crimes that will put him in jail for the rest of his life.
The U.S. government has threatened the governments that dare to
offer him asylum with serious consequences. In a painful irony,
the only sanctuary that had been found for Snowden is Russia, a
country whose democratic problems and authoritarian tendencies
are obvious.</p>
<p>But is really Snowden a worthy recipient of the prize, someone
may sneeze. Is not America the world's leading democracy, a
friend of Europe, committed to the rule of law? Yes. But even
democracies can hide pockets of tyranny in their hearts: a
democratic state may well coexist with other systems that are
characterised by anything but democracy and law. As the
monitoring system which now puts its global tentacles far into
the private lives of citizens. By exposing this system Snowden
made it possible for us to say No – this is not a development
and a society we want, we protect our civil rights and freedoms
when they are threatened.</p>
<p>Snowden's revelations make explicit demands on citizens and
politicians to act and react. How have we responded to these
demands? Not in any impressive way one must say. Individual
politicians and many citizens have reacted, expressed support
for Snowden, trying to act in his defence. They see the
unpleasant consequences of a surveillance system where innocent
citizens get their electronic communication and their phone
calls tapped and mapped. The German President Joachim Gauck,
with his personal East German experience, for example stated
that Snowden "deserves respect" for his actions. But otherwise
an awkward silence, evasive answers, gentle tiptoeing. Merkel
hums, The European Commission whispers, the parliaments remain
silent.</p>
<p>On the Swedish side, even more depressing inaction is observed.
Sweden acts together with Britain to make sure the question
should not be addressed at European level. This is a bilateral
issue and by the way, no Swedish interests are at stake, the
Foreign Minister distractedly announces before returning to
Twitter. The government obviously sees no reason to allow this
issue to eclipse the splendor of Obama's forthcoming state
visit. From the political left, a complete disinterest is shown.
No social democratic position is advanced or even formulated.</p>
<p>It is tragic to see how thin the liberal veneer is in many
places. When liberalism is no longer easy and obvious, when it
requires courage and sacrifice, when we are forced to choose and
our choices have real costs, what happens then? We fall into
line, we bend to power. Without grumbling we let fairly
manageable threats from terrorists sweep away fundamental rights
and freedoms.</p>
<p>We must demand more of ourselves and our elected officials than
that. We could start by giving Edward Snowden the prize whose
name symbolises a man who refused to bow to oppression and
thereby actually changed history.</p>
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<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
<font face="Arial" size="-1">Erik Josefsson</font><br>
<font face="Arial" size="-1">Advisor on Internet Policies</font><br>
<font face="Arial" size="-1"><a
href="http://www.greens-efa.eu/36-details/josefsson-erik-138.html">Greens/EFA
Group</a></font><br>
<font face="Arial" size="-2">GSM: <b>+32484082063</b></font><br>
<font face="Arial" size="-2">BXL: PHS 04C075 TEL: +3222832667</font><br>
<font face="Arial" size="-2">SBG: WIC M03005 TEL: +33388173776</font><br>
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