14 DAY TRIAL // The chief of the newly launched German parliamentary inquiry into the NSA’s mass surveillance practices has resigned, saying that there was too much tension regarding the possible testimony of Edward Snowden.
The four parties in the Bundestag agreed to launch the inquiry into the NSA’s scope in Germany, trying to find out to what extent the agency spied on German communications or the country’s leaders.
Lawmakers have been trying to agree on whether or not to bring in Edward Snowden, who many consider to be a key witness. This idea is a very good one, but presents a lot of difficulties. On one hand, Edward Snowden cannot travel freely through Europe since he would have no protection from the Russian government if he left the country where he was given asylum.
Furthermore, the incidents from last summer when the presidential aircraft of Bolivia was grounded out of fear that Snowden was on the plane prove that European nations may comply with the wishes of the American government and retain the whistleblower.
Lastly, bringing Edward Snowden would certainly anger the United States and the German government seems to be undecided about whether or not it wants to give the US the cold shoulder or not. Despite all the revelations about the NSA’s spying practices in Germany, including against Angela Merkel and her predecessor, lawmakers seem conflicted about whether to continue doing what the USA wants so as not to damage diplomatic relations.
Clemens Binninger, a member of Merkel’s party, expressed his skepticism about whether Snowden could help. Because of all the pressure, the chairman decided to quit his position and leave room for Patrick Sensburg, another politician from the same political party.
It’s unclear yet what his position will be regarding this issue and whether he’ll believe that the opposition wants to focus the panel’s work exclusively on questioning Edward Snowden. The whistleblower has expressed his willingness to assist any investigation and has so far appeared via video connection on several such meetings, including in front of the European Commission.
Other nations have also expressed an interest in Snowden’s opinion as they launched investigations into the NSA’s mass surveillance practices and how they touch their particular interests.
Since media reports based on the NSA files indicate that the agency had its eyes and ears on hundreds of world leaders and spied on entire countries, collecting tens of millions of records each month, it’s not exactly a surprise that so many lawmakers want to interview Snowden.