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Edward Snowden to appear via video link at New Hampshire convention of libertarians

Former National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden speaks in Moscow in this file image made from video released by WikiLeaks on Oct. 11, 2013.
Former National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden speaks in Moscow in this file image made from video released by WikiLeaks on Oct. 11, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Edward Snowden will appear via video link as a featured speaker at a New Hampshire convention of libertarian activists.

The Valley News reports that the former National Security Agency contractor will participate in a 30-minute discussion and Q&A at the New Hampshire Free State Project’s convention in Manchester in February.

The Free State Project describes itself as an effort to recruit “liberty-loving people” to move to New Hampshire. The group says it is trying to recruit 20,000 people who agree that a government should act to protect people’s rights.

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Snowden leaked millions of documents about government surveillance to a United Kingdom newspaper in 2013. He has been living in Russia under a grant of asylum and faces charges in the U.S. for leaking details of the once-secret program.

Free State Project President Carla Gericke confirmed the speaking engagement at their Liberty Forum, which runs from Feb. 18-21. She said the topic has yet to be decided.

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“He’s a really insightful and brilliant man,” she said. “From our perspective, we’re really excited to give him a platform.”

Gericke said Snowden doesn’t deserve to be labeled a “traitor.”

“I think what he did was incredibly courageous and brave,” she said, comparing Snowden’s disclosures with those of Daniel Ellsberg, who released the Pentagon Papers.

Snowden was the subject of a 2014 Academy Award-winning documentary called “Citizenfour,” which chronicles his work with Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald and filmmaker Laura Poitras to reveal the secrets.

 

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