Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who leaked a ream of documents to the press about the operations of the spy organization, has been named as one of seven nominees for a human rights award given out by the European Parliament, according to Reuters.
Snowden is currently living in Russia after he was granted temporary asylum after becoming marooned at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport while attempting to flee to South America. The United States government views Snowden as a fugitive who is wanted on charges of espionage.
The Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought has previously been given to former South African president Nelson Mandela, former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan and the opposition leader from Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi. The award was named after famous Soviet scientist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov and is often awarded to activists working against their governments.
"Edward Snowden has risked his freedom to help us protect our and he deserves to be honored for shedding light on the systematic infringements of civil liberties by U.S. and European secret services," Rebecca Harms and Dany Cohn-Bendit, leaders of the Green party that nominated Snowden, said in a statement.
Other nominees for the award include Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a Russian businessman who opposes Putin; the "Standing Man" protestors, the leaders of the peaceful protests in Turkey's Taksim Square; and Malala Yousafzai, the young girl who was shot by the Taliban for speaking out to demand education for females, according to the European Parliament.
Anatoly Kucherena, Snowden's lawyer in Russia, told the Guardian that his client can move about freely within the country without being recognized but that they are still trying to keep his location a secret.
"We believe the danger remains quite high, and, as I see it, it is impossible at the moment to reveal where he's living or to talk openly about it," Kucherena said. "He walks around. He can travel. He does travel because he is interested in our history."
Kucherena also told reporters that Snowden is expecting a visit from his father, and possibly his mother and grandparents, sometime in the not too distant future, according to the Associated Press.
