Daniel “Harry Potter” Radcliffe, Martin Sheen, Danny Glover, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Susan Sarandon have lent their names to a new campaign calling on President Obama to pardon fugitive leaker Edward Snowden.

“Thanks to Edward Snowden’s act of conscience, we’ve made historic strides in our fight for surveillance reform and improved cybersecurity,” said the ACLU, which is leading the drive. “That’s why today, ahead of this week’s release of the Oliver Stone movie ‘Snowden,’ we’re unveiling a major effort calling on President Obama to pardon the NSA whistleblower.”
Celebrity supporters of Snowden’s star-crossed effort to be cleared of charges and return home from Russia are listed here.
“The ACLU is being joined in this campaign by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and we already have an impressive list of over 100 former national security officials, legal scholars, technology and business leaders, human rights activists, and artists on board,” ACLU said.
But a June 2013 petition urging a pardon was for naught, even after 168,000 signed it on the White House’s We The People site.
Obama has steadfastly rejected a pardon, however, and the White House has called on Snowden to come home and face the music.
“If he felt his actions were consistent with civil disobedience, then he should do what those who have taken issue with their own government do: Challenge it, speak out, engage in a constructive act of protest, and — importantly — accept the consequences of his actions,” wrote Lisa Monaco, the president’s adviser on homeland security and counterterrorism.
“He should come home to the United States, and be judged by a jury of his peers — not hide behind the cover of an authoritarian regime. Right now, he’s running away from the consequences of his actions.”
Meanwhile, the beat goes on:
Here’s my take on @Snowden: Set him free. He is a hero. https://t.co/iNcNfvmvGQ
— Dr. Jill Stein (@DrJillStein) September 13, 2016
.@SenSanders backs @Snowden pardon campaign as does @DrJillStein & @GovGarySjohnson https://t.co/JJX5VlmeI7
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) September 14, 2016
I think Obama should @PardonSnowden. So does @ACLU, @AmnestyOnline, @hrw. Don’t you? https://t.co/A6XhCaL2JO
— Susan Sarandon (@SusanSarandon) September 14, 2016
We’re proud to support the campaign to pardon whistleblower Ed @Snowden. Follow along at @PardonSnowden and sign up! https://t.co/Lbdu3S95Hr
— Freedom of the Press (@FreedomofPress) September 14, 2016
