The international search for Edward Snowden, a man on the run from the U.S. on charges of espionage, is surrounded by controversy. While many believe he is a criminal who should be hunted down and prosecuted, others view him as a hero for releasing dark government secrets.
It seems that many leaders believe that Snowden is innocent, saying he did not endanger any human beings in any way. Nicolas Maduro, President of Venezuela, asks, “He's now being persecuted and you have to wonder, why is he being persecuted? How many missiles has Snowden launched against innocent peoples around the world? Has Snowden planted bombs that killed ... What crimes has he committed against humanity?” This is a good question. Did the information that Snowden revealed cause any harm whatsoever? Many people, all over the world believe not. He simply revealed that the government tracks phone calls to monitor possible terrorist activity- a fact which many people say terrorists would suspect anyway.
Others argue that whether or not the information released was dangerous or not, the fact that he revealed top secret documents to the media is a crime in itself, and should be prosecuted to discourage other government officials from releasing information.
Many of those who believe Edward Snowden is innocent, go even farther, saying that he is a National Hero. These people say that if the government is doing something behind the Nation’s back, and a government official thinks it is wrong, he should warn the people. They claim it is freedom of speech. This is true to some extent, but government officials are sworn under oath to keep top secret documents quiet. They agreed to this when they took the job, so they revoked their freedom of speech for those particular documents.
While Edward Snowden seeks asylum from U.S. prosecution, the debate goes on as to whether he is truly a U.S. enemy or a National Hero. It all depends on how you view the situation. You decide- should Edward Snowden be prosecuted?