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 Snowden
gets Nobel Peace Prize nomination from Norwegian MP
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[January 29, 2014]
OSLO (Reuters) — A Norwegian member
of parliament nominated former U.S. National Security Agency contractor
Edward Snowden for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize on Wednesday, arguing that
his release of classified documents made the world a safer place.
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 Baard Vegar Solhjell, a former education and environment minister
for the Socialist Left party, said Snowden's revelations deepened
the public's understanding of the extent to which states spy on
their own citizens.
"There is no doubt that the actions of Edward Snowden may have
damaged the security interests of several nations in the short
term," Solhjell and fellow MP Snorre Valen said in a joint
statement.
"We are, however, convinced that the public debate and changes in
policy that have followed in the wake of Snowden's whistle blowing
has contributed to a more peaceful, stable and peaceful world
order," they said.
"His actions have in effect led to the reintroduction of trust and
transparency as a leading principle in global security policies."
Snowden, living in temporary asylum in Russia after disclosing U.S.
government secrets on surveillance programs and other activities,
faces criminal charges in the United States after fleeing last year
first to Hong Kong and then Russia.
Thousands of people around the world are eligible to nominate
candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize, including any member of any
national assembly. There were 259 nominees for last year's prize,
which was won by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons for its efforts to eliminate Syria's chemical arsenal.
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The Norwegian Nobel Committee will collect nominations for the 2014
prize up to February 1 and finalize its list on March 4, when the
committee holds its first meeting of the year and members submit
their own nominations. The winner will be announced on October 10.
(Reporting by Balazs Koranyi; editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
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