People wearing Cossack uniforms gather in front of Sakharov Centre on March 3, 2013. AFP PHOTO / ADNREY SMIRNOV
The most famous American intelligence contractor in history has been formally nominated to receive Europe’s prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought — a bizarre development given that it is named after a Soviet dissident and Edward Snowden remains holed up in Putin’s politically repressive Russia.
True, Christian Engstrom, the member of the Swedish Pirate Party who co-nominated Snowden, acknowledged as much in an awkwardly-worded statement reflecting the imperfection of Snowden as a champion of civil liberties so long as he remains in the East. “In a painful irony, his only sanctuary is Russia, a country with democratic problems and authoritarian tendencies,” Engstrom wrote on his blog.
That doesn’t change the facts on the ground, however. When seen in the light of the the fresh wave of mockery being directed at the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to U.S. President Barack Obama four years ago in anticipation of things he might do during his tenure — and with intervention in Syria now seemingly around the corner — international prizes honoring human rights and civil liberties are having a rough week.
