Iceland's Government May Not Help NSA Whistleblower

Reason

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has said that he hopes to be able to live in Iceland, a country that has a reputation for being a haven for those in favor of internet freedom, having helped out Wikileaks.

Unfortunately for Snowden, it looks like Iceland's new prime minister may not be keen to help him out.

From Voice of America:

REYKJAVIK — The leaker who revealed top secret U.S. surveillance programs says he hopes to find shelter in Iceland, but he may be disappointed by the reception from a new government seen as less keen than predecessors to attract exiles and Internet renegades.

The country of 320,000 people has served as the home base for the fundraising efforts of anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks and earlier earned a reputation as a safe haven by taking in American fugitive former chess champion Bobby Fischer in 2005.

Snowden has reportedly left a hotel in Hong Kong. His present whereabouts are unknown.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

If Iceland is paying any attention at all, it knows how vindictive this administration can be.

[Hyperion]

If they aren’t getting welfare from us in the form of dollars, they should just tell us to fuck off.

[Hyperion]

Ok, it’s open debate on where this guy is most likely to find exile.

Russia? Everywhere else I can think of right off, would involve him converting to Islam.

[jesse.in.mb]

Too many drones in the lands of the Mohammedans.

[robc]

Based on the next article posted, he might be safe in Switzerland.

[Let Me Ride]

Switzerland, Sweden, Iceland?

No offense, but you people are retarded. Anyone of these places could be overpowered by American coercive pressure and crushed like a bug. They’ll sell out this 29y.o. nobody with hardly a second thought.

[Let Me Ride]

Russia.

They’re able to stand up to us and they’re kind of pissed off at us (e.g., for ‘supposedly’ fomenting “color revolutions” in neighboring republics; for the Magnitsky Act; for unilaterally deciding that ‘Assad has to go;’ etc., etc.)

[Jesus H. Christ]

What about Sweden?

[Hyperion]

I’d probably pick Somalia before that.

[ZackTheHypochondriac]

I think it’s scary that he has to seek asylum at all. And that quote from a previous article “I will live in fear the rest of my life” is very saddening to me, I probably would too if I was even brave enough to do what he did(which I’m probably not).

[Jordan]

Not only that, but he may never see his family again. Absolutely horrible.

[ZackTheHypochondriac]

yea, it would be nice if the public cared enough that the government would be afraid to do anything to him, but I doubt that’s the case.

[Hyperion]

This guy is no different that Osama Bin Laden to the US government, as far as he should be concerned.

I can just see McCain and Graham slobbering all over themselves on the Senate floor calling for the execution of this guy without trial. They are like modern day parodies of witch hunters.

He should lie low and probably wear an anti-drone cloak at all times.

[PRX]

in a decent republic Obama would be the lamister.

[DaveAnthony]

Iceland is a beautiful country, but I swear to god if I ever have to run from the US for exposing government secrets, there had better be a tropical paradise waiting for me somewhere…

[alan_s]

Isn’t Iceland the place where they banned internet porn?