Edward Snowden, Whistleblower

Traitor or hero? All of us at InterNations define ourselves and our values by our answers to that question.
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'The award, granted every two years since Protected content the Federation of German Scientists, the International Association Of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms, and Transparency International, honors individuals who "reveal major grievances and dangerous developments for individuals and society, for peace and the environment in the public interest."'

Here is an extract from his speech of acceptance - which of course he wasn't able to give in person.
'My gratitude belongs to all of those who have reached out to their friends and family to explain why suspicion-less surveillance matters. It belongs to the man in a mask on the street on a hot day and the women with a sign and an umbrella in the rain, it belongs to the young people in college with a civil liberty sticker on their laptop, and the kid in the back of a class in high school making memes. All of these people accept that change begins with a single voice and spoke one message to the world: governments must be accountable to us for the decisions that they make.'