from the you-bunch-of-sweet-talkers-you dept.
“The WSJ reports that Attorney General Eric Holder promises Edward Snowden won’t be tortured or face the death penalty in a new letter hoping to persuade Russia not to grant him asylum or refugee status. Holder’s letter, dated Tuesday, notes that press reports from Russia indicated Snowden sought asylum in part based on claims he could be tortured or killed by the US government. It is common for the US to promise not to seek the death penalty against individuals being sought in other countries, because even America’s closest allies won’t turn over suspects if they believe that person might be executed. The United Nations special rapporteur on torture found Bradley Manning’s detention was ‘cruel and inhuman’.”
Update: 07/27 13:15 GMT by T : Several readers have noted that change.gov, established by the Obama transition team in 2008, has recently (last month) gone offline; among other things, it contained language specifically addressing the protection of whistleblowers.
Protect Whistleblowers: Often the best source of information about waste, fraud, and abuse in government is an existing government employee committed to public integrity and willing to speak out. Such acts of courage and patriotism, which can sometimes save lives and often save taxpayer dollars, should be encouraged rather than stifled. We need to empower federal employees as watchdogs of wrongdoing and partners in performance. Barack Obama will strengthen whistleblower laws to protect federal workers who expose waste, fraud, and abuse of authority in government. Obama will ensure that federal agencies expedite the process for reviewing whistleblower claims and whistleblowers have full access to courts and due process
