Hong Kong: The whistleblower Edward Snowden warned yesterday that the truth about the extent of surveillance carried out by US authorities would emerge even if he were jailed or murdered.
In a live Q&A with Guardian readers from a secret location in Hong Kong, Snowden did not directly answer a question about whether he had more unpublished material. “All I can say right now is the US government is not going to be able to cover this up by jailing or murdering me,” he said. “Truth is coming, and it cannot be stopped.”
Snowden, who is hiding in a safe house, spent nearly two hours taking questions on the Guardian website. His answered questions ranged from why he chose Hong Kong to his specific concerns about the Obama administration. He also clarified questions about his salary at Booz Allen Hamilton and the range of access he had as analyst for the National Security Agency.
With opinion in the US divided between those who see him as a traitor and those who view him as hero, Snowden said he fled the country because he did not believe he had a chance of a fair trial.
“The US government, just as they did with other whistleblowers, immediately and predictably destroyed any possibility of a fair trial at home, openly declaring me guilty of treason and that the disclosure of secret, criminal, and even unconstitutional acts is an unforgivable crime.
“That’s not justice, and it would be foolish to volunteer yourself to it if you can do more good outside of prison than in it,” he said. Snowden, whose leaked documents opened a debate about the balance between intrusive government surveillance and security, does not regard himself as having committed a crime.
Guardian News
