A number of civil liberties organizations will start a formal campaign Wednesday asking President Obama to pardon Edward Snowden for divulging secrets about the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs.
The American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other groups will commence an online petition focused on freeing Snowden from the legal battle he is in with the government.
“We are going to be doing both a mass signature campaign around the world and trying to get prominent individuals and organizations to join our call to President Obama to pardon Snowden before he leaves office,” Snowden’s lawyer, Bin Wizner, told Motherboard.
The campaign is set to begin just two days before Oliver Stone’s movie on Snowden hits theaters Friday. The film gives a sympathetic look at Snowden and could help the former NSA contractor’s legal team win over the public and force the Obama administration’s hand.
“I think Oliver will do more for Snowden in two hours than his lawyers have been able to do in three years,” Wizner said.
Snowden has been charged under the Espionage Act for disseminating classified information about the federal government’s data collection programs. Obama has said Snowden should return to the U.S. and face trial instead of hiding overseas in Russia.
