Enhedslisten nominates whistleblower Snowden for Nobel Peace Prize

Far-left party said revelations on government spying have been crucial in creating a global debate about surveillance

American whistleblower Edward Snowden will be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by far-left party Enhedslisten (EL), party spokesperson Stine Brix announced on Twitter this morning. 

According to Nordjyske Stiftstidende newspaper, EL decided at its group meeting yesterday to nominate Snowden for the prestigious prize due to the public debate created in the wake of his exposure of the US government's mass surveillance programmes carried out by the National Security Agency.

Brix told Nordjyske Stiftstidende that Snowden's role as an internal critic of the system has led to important debates about just how far countries can and should go in monitoring their citizens. 

"The internet, email and text messages make possible a surveillance society that is even wilder than George Orwell's book '1984', or what was seen in East Germany, but that is on its way to becoming a reality," Brix said. 

This is not the first time prominent Danish politicians have expressed support for Snowden. Just prior to Snowden being granted asylum by Russia, Radikale MP Uffe Elbæk called on Denmark to offer him asylum. Nor is this the first call for Snowden to be awarded the Nobel Prize. Last month, Norwegian MP Snorre Valen nominated both Snowden and Bradley Manning, a US Army soldier who leaked classified information to WikiLeaks, as candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize, according to Norwegian English-language news source The Local.

The nomination period for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize ended in February, so it is assumed that Enhedslisten's nomination of Snowden could first be processed for the 2014 award. This year's Nobel Peace Prize recipient will be announced on October 11 and the winner will be presented the prize in Oslo on December 10. 

NOTE: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Snorre Valen as a Swedish MP

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