Brazilian senators advocate political asylum for Edward Snowden

Brasília – Senators from the Parliamentary Investigative Commission (“CPI”) on Espionage argued on Tuesday (Dec. 17) for granting political asylum to Edward Snowden, responsible for disclosing information on the US surveillance scheme while he still worked as a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA).

“We’ll try to talk to the Justice Minister. This is a humanitarian issue,” said CPI chairman, Senator Vanessa Grazziotin. She recalled that soon after the espionage allegations, the Foreign Relations Commission of the Senate wrote out a symbolic appeal for solidarity and an asylum request for Snowden. Still according to Grazziotin, the data held by the former NSA contractor are key in changing how the world’s monitoring systems operate.

The initiative was met with a lot of support by the CPI’s rapporteur, Senator Ricardo Ferraço, who is also the chairman of the Foreign Relations Commission. “With Snowden in Brazil, we’ll certainly be unfolding, revealing, all this situation, which struck not only Brazil but the world’s major nations and leaders with perplexity,” he declared.

The congressmen addressed the topic after the launch of an internet campaign aimed at collecting signatures in support of Snowden’s asylum in Brazil, and after his “Open Letter to the People of Brazil” was published by Brazilian daily Folha de São Paulo on Tuesday.

At the senate, other congressmen affiliated with the government’s party also advocated Snowden’s asylum. “President Dilma [Rousseff], open the doors of Brazil to Edward Snowden. The freedom of all the nations in the world needs this gesture,” pleaded Roberto Requião. In his opinion, Brazil owes a lot to the former contractor, as his revelations “were a warning crucial to preparing the country to prevent its data and secrets from being ravaged.”

On Tuesday afternoon, the Foreign Minister announced that the Brazilian government regards the internet campaign and Snowden’s “Open Letter to the People of Brazil” as “social tools in defense of his asylum” and does not think they constitute a request.

President Dilma Rousseff said that the Brazilian government does not have to express an opinion about the campaign for Snowden’s asylum in Brazil. According to Rousseff, no official asylum request has been issued, and she is not responsible for interpreting letters.

“I reserve myself the right not to express my opinion about what has not been issued,” the president said. “And, more than that, I do not interpret letters. This is not my mission,” the president stated.

Edited by Davi Oliveira / Nira Foster
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira