Three leading human rights organization launched a campaign to try and persuade President Barack Obama to pardon National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden of his theft and espionage charges in the US before he leaves office. 


"Presidents normally take some of the most difficult actions of their eight years in office in the final months," Anthony Romero, the American Civil Liberties Union executive director, said during the New York news conference on Wednesday, along with representatives from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. 


The groups said the time was right to rally support for a pardon for Snowden who blew the whistle on top-secret US surveillance programs to journalists in 2013. He fled to Hong Kong and was granted asylum in Russia. The ACLU is providing legal representation for Snowden

Source: NNA