14 DAY TRIAL // Edward Snowden is considering a lot of options for his future, including returning to the United States. As he’s already said on several accounts, however, there are a bunch of conditions attached to this particular plan.
According to Der Spiegel, which talked to Wolfgang Kaleck, Snowden’s German lawyer, there are undergoing negotiations at the time. “Those who know the case are aware that an amicable agreement with the US authorities will be most reasonable,” Kaleck said.
The lawyer, who also plays the role of secretary general for the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, said that a medium-term solution was being sought, although Snowden isn’t directly involved in these discussions.
The idea that Snowden wants to return to the United States has been making the rounds for a while and the whistleblower hasn’t denied his desire to go back home, but he did mention several times that this wouldn’t be possible under the present circumstances since regular whistleblower protection didn’t cover NSA contractors like him.
Kaleck said that his client had never acted selfishly or wanted to cause damage to the United States. Edward Snowden has said that all he tried to do was cause a discussion on the topic of the NSA’s mass surveillance programs, which he considers are a violation of user privacy due to their reach and the fact that most programs created by the spy agency focus on collecting all data rather than just the parts that are relevant to investigations.
The lawyer has made a request with the NSA investigation committee in the German Bundestag, which is currently analyzing the extent of the surveillance practiced by the NSA in the country. The members of the group have been arguing about whether or not Edward Snowden should be invited to testify in front of the Committee.
They are, of course, weighing in the pros and cons of the idea. After all, bringing Snowden to Germany would require a lot of paperwork, as well as ensuring his safety and passage without interruption from Russia, as well as his return, without mentioning that he could take the opportunity to file for asylum while on the territory.
He could offer the German government insight into the NSA’s business, although Snowden has often refrained from sharing more details about the files he gave to the media, saying that he prefers to let journalists decide what data is of public interest.
Despite all the advantages of inviting Snowden to testify, the one thing that has pushed the committee to refrain thus far has been the strain that the move would put on the country’s relationship with the United States, a country it considers to be an ally.
On the other hand, German politicians are also taking into account the fact that the country’s prized ally has been spying on citizens, government members and Angela Merkel herself.