American whistleblower Edward Snowden is “considering” returning home to the USA under certain conditions, his lawyer told German news magazine Der Spiegel.
"There are negotiations," Snowden's German lawyer
Wolfgang Kaleck told Der Spiegel. "Those who know the
case are aware that an amicable agreement with the US authorities
will be most reasonable.”
All efforts are now focused on finding a solution acceptable for
Edward Snowden, at least in the medium term, according to Kaleck,
who is also secretary-general for the European Center for
Constitutional and Human Rights.
Meanwhile, former NSA contractor isn’t involved in these
negotiations, according to Kaleck, who added that his client
never acted selfishly and caused no damage.
"That’s why, one could hope that a democratic US government paves
the way back to him," he added.
At Kaleck’s request, the NSA investigation committee in the
German Bundestag, a constitutional and legislative body, is
currently clarifying with the Cabinet of Germany
(Bundesregierung) if the whistleblower can enter and testify
there.
Reports that the famous whistleblower wants to come back to the
US and was seeking high-ranked lawyer to negotiate his return
first emerged in April. The New York Times wrote that during the
summer of 2013, Snowden was seeking the assistance of DC-based
attorney Plato Cacheris to negotiate a plea deal with federal
prosecutors that would allow Snowden to return to the US as well
as spare him significant prison time.
Snowden, while employed by the NSA, took up to 1.7 million
classified files on US vast surveillance apparatus and
intelligence gathering methods.
The ex-NSA contractor is currently under temporary asylum in
Russia. He is wanted by the US on charges of espionage and theft
of government property after leaking a vast trove of classified
material to journalists that revealed more understanding of the
National Security Agency’s global spying operations.
Earlier Snowden said that he wishes to return to the US, but is
concerned he would be unfairly convicted of spying and subjected
to the same treatment as other leakers who dared to expose
government secrets during the Obama administration’s relentless
pursuit of whistleblowers under the Espionage Act.
On May 20, a plea to give political asylum to Snowden if Scotland
votes for independence was sent to the Scottish Parliament. Mick
Napier, a retired lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University put
forward a petition calling for Snowden, now rector of Glasgow
University, to be given shelter in Scotland.