Comment by codezero
13 years ago
This seems like a bit much. Why not a petition not to prosecute him, or not to extradite him?
A blanket free-ride for any and all crimes just won't ever happen. What if he murdered several people along the way, let's say they weren't government employees or involved in PRISM at all, does that mean he should be pardoned for that? The language on this petition needs serious work to get real support, or to have a reasonable chance of being addressed.
"Edward Snowden is a national hero and should be immediately issued a a full, free, and absolute pardon for any crimes he has committed or may have committed related to blowing the whistle on secret NSA surveillance programs."
If Edward Snowden murdered people that were not government employees or involved in PRISM, then that plainly would not be crimes related to blowing the whistle on secret NSA surveillance programs. If it was at all ambiguous, it could be argued in court.
Not necessarily, also, I was using an extreme example to make a point, I can imagine many scenarios where he killed a civilian "related to blowing the whistle," but since that obvious exaggeration failed to get my point across I'll move along.