|
Snowden's law
firm said in April he would take Norway to court to secure free
passage to the Nordic country to receive a free speech award,
but the Oslo District Court dismissed the case in June.
"The court of appeal has -- like the district court -- concluded
that the lawsuit must be rejected," it said on Wednesday, adding
that the justice ministry could not be compelled to issue an
advance decision on whether or not to extradite.
Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor who leaked
details about the U.S. government's massive surveillance
programs, was granted asylum in Russia, which borders Norway,
after fleeing the United States in 2013.
Supporters see him as a whistleblower who boldly exposed
government excess. But the U.S. government has filed espionage
charges against him for leaking intelligence information.
Snowden had been invited to Norway to receive an award from the
local branch of writers' group PEN International, but worried
that he would be handed over to the United States, his lawyers
have said.
"Sadly, this was not entirely unexpected," chairman William
Nygaard of PEN Norway told Reuters. "We will of course appeal to
the supreme court."
(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen and Terje Solsvik; Editing by
Catherine Evans)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
