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'Snowden statement': Obama trying to scare future whistleblowers

The Wikileaks website has released tis statement attributed to the whistleblower and former CIA analyst Edward Snowden.

In it, he accuses US President Obama of trying to put pressure on world leaders to deny him asylum in order to scare future potential whistleblowers.

It is being reported that after promising not to do so, the President ordered his Vice President to pressure the leaders of nations from which I have requested protection to deny my asylum petitions.

This kind of deception from a world leader is not justice, and neither is the extralegal penalty of exile. These are the old, bad tools of political aggression. Their purpose is to frighten, not me, but those who would come after me ...

The Obama administration has now adopted the strategy of using citizenship as a weapon Although I am convicted of nothing, it has unilaterally revoked my passport, leaving me a stateless person. Without any judicial order, the administration now seeks to stop me exercising a basic right. A right that belongs to everybody. The right to seek asylum.

– statement attributed to edward snowden