Snowden Slams Reality Winner Indictment, Says Charges Are 'Threat to the Free Press'
Controversial whistleblower Edward Snowden has weighed in on a recent move by the United States Justice Department to indict Reality Leigh Winner, a National Security Agency Contractor. A former NSA contractor himself, Snowden calls the motion "a fundamental threat to the free press."
This statement from Snowden follows an announcement by the US Justice Department that they have charged NSA contractor Reality Winner with leaking classified information on Monday, June 5, according to the International Business Times.
Snowden slammed the pressing of charges against Winner even before the implications of the leak has been brought to question. "The prosecution of any journalistic source without due consideration by the jury as to the harm or benefit of the journalistic activity is a fundamental threat to the free press," the whistleblower said in his message.
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Snowden made particular note of the use of the Espionage Act which, according to him, conceals from the jury the motivations behind the leak.
Snowden delivered his statement from an undisclosed location through the Freedom of Press Foundation on Tuesday, June 6. In his message, the reclusive whistleblower condemned the charges filed against Winner in what could be related to the leak of an NSA document that contains sensitive information about Russian cyber attacks.
These cyber attacks, believed to be Russian in origin, has been implicated in a possible attempt to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
The leaked document has been forwarded to The Intercept, a publication that previously dealt with a number of Snowden's disclosures in the past.
Reporters at The Intercept has come forward and presented the leaked document to the National Security Agency, supposedly to verify if the document is genuine, according to Ars Technica.
This move by the publication has exposed the source of the anonymous tip, as specialized watermarks and fold marks have revealed the printer and the date of printing, eventually leading to the arrest of Reality Winner.
