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Snowden Would Return To US If Government Guarantees Fair Trial (thehill.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Edward Snowden said if the government would guarantee him a fair trial, he would return to the United States. Snowden spoke via Skype from Russia on Saturday at the New Hampshire Liberty Forum, WTOP reported. "I've told the government I would return if they would guarantee a fair trial where I can make a public interest defense of why this was done and allow a jury to decide," Snowden said.
The problem is he wants a fair trial, AS DEFINED BY EDWARD SNOWDEN. We can't make up law according to the defendant. If you don't like the law we have now, elect someone else and have it changed.
A fair trial will find him guilty, regardless of what he believes. By any and all possible interpretations of the law, he is guilty. Significant evidence has been shown that his crime was planned before he had security clearance.
The only trial that would not lead to lifetime imprisonment is if he somehow ended up with a jury that was aware of the concept of jury nullification, and they find that due to the nature of the law and his superiors, he had no other choice, so the law and system are at fault.
That decision would be appealed by the prosecution as well, but it might start a trend in how higher courts decide.
The US Constitution guarantees him a fair trial. This is just grandstanding in the style of Julian Assange. No answer Snowden gets will be deemed by him to be sufficient, so he'll never leave. And I'm pretty sure his idea of "fair trial" means "I get acquitted no matter what" rather than a non-prejudiced jury gets to hear his case and decide the verdict without outside interference.
The sixth amendment to the U.S. Constitution:
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
... which the US government has ignored on multiple occasions through out its history.
ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI!?
Bullshit. Snowden is now having second thoughts about his treason and wants to come home. Yes, that's treason, as in deliberately providing aid and comfort to enemies in a time of war. He NEVER used any legal method to air concerns. He signed an NDA specifically agreeing to use those methods, (IG and letters to congress, yes you can send classified mail to your congressman) but instead deliberately, willfully attempted to bring severe harm to the nation. Only the KGB knows what he sold to Russia and didn't disclose publically.