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Edward Snowden: There's 'No Fair Trial Available' If I Return To The U.S.

Edward Snowden: There's 'No Fair Trial Available' If I Return To The U.S.
Reuters
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TORONTO, March 4 (Reuters) - Edward Snowden, the fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor who leaked details of the government's mass surveillance programs, said on Wednesday he is not being offered a fair trial if he returns to the United States.

"I would love to go back and face a fair trial, but unfortunately ... there is no fair trial available, on offer right now," he said in a live question and answer discussion organized by Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, Ryerson University and the CBC.

"I've been working exhaustively with the government now since I left to try to find terms of a trial." (Reporting by Solarina Ho; Editing by Chris Reese)

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Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(01 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:Bret Hartman/TED)
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(02 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:Bret Hartman/TED)
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(03 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:James Duncan Davidson/TED)
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(04 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:James Duncan Davidson/TED)
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(05 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:Bret Hartman/TED)
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(06 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:Bret Hartman/TED)
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(07 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:Bret Hartman/TED)
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(08 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:Bret Hartman/TED)
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(09 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:James Duncan Davidson/TED)
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(10 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:Bret Hartman/TED)
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(11 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:James Duncan Davidson/TED)
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(12 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:Bret Hartman/TED)
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(13 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:Bret Hartman/TED)
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(14 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:Bret Hartman/TED)
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(15 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:Bret Hartman/TED)
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(16 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:Bret Hartman/TED)
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(17 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:Ryan Lash/TED)
Edward Snowden At TED Conference Vancouver(18 of31)
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Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the TED Conference in Vancouver via robot. (credit:Bret Hartman/TED)
Vladimir Putin, President Of Russia(19 of31)
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Russian President Vladimir Putin called the massive U.S. surveillance programs, revealed last week by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, “generally practicable” and “the way a civilized society should go about fighting terrorism.”Russian President Vladimir Putin listens during a meeting with prosecutor general Yuri Chaika, not pictured, at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow on Tuesday, July 9, 2013. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Alexei Nikolsky, Presidential Press Service) (credit:AP)
William Hague, Foreign Secretary Of The United Kingdom(20 of31)
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In a statement to Parliament, Hague said the UK's information-sharing relationship with the U.S. was "essential to the security of the country" and had "saved many lives."British Foreign Secretary William Hague speaks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Tuesday, June 25, 2013 in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) (credit:AP)
Martin Schulz, President Of The European Parliament(21 of31)
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"I am deeply worried and shocked about the allegations," European Parliament President Martin Schulz said in a statement. "If the allegations prove to be true, it would be an extremely serious matter which will have a severe impact on EU-U.S. relations. On behalf of the European Parliament, I demand full clarification and require further information speedily from the U.S. authorities with regard to these allegations."Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, delivers a speech during the funeral ceremony of former Hungarian Prime Minister Gyula Horn at the Fiumei cemetery in Budapest on July 8, 2013. (PETER KOHALMI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, German Justice Minister(22 of31)
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German Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger "said if the accusations were true, it was reminiscent of the Cold War," ministry spokesman Anders Mertzlufft said, adding that the minister "has asked for an immediate explanation from the United States."German Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger arrives for the weekly German federal Cabinet meeting on July 10, 2013 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Laurent Fabius, French Foreign Minister(23 of31)
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French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called for a swift explanation from American authorities. "These acts, if they are confirmed, would be absolutely unacceptable," he said in a statement.French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius speaks to journalists upon arrival for the Donor Conference for Development in Mali, in Brussels, Wednesday, May 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe) (credit:AP)
Cristina Fernandez, President Of Argentina(24 of31)
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"A shiver ran down my back when I learned that they are spying on all of us," Argentine President Cristina Fernandez said in a speech on July 9.Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner speaks to the press upon her arrival for a meeting with other leftist Latin American leaders called after Bolivia's President Evo Morales plane was rerouted in Europe amid suspicions US fugitive Edward Snowden was aboard, in the Bolivian central city of Cochabamba, on July 4, 2013. (JORGE BERNAL/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Ollanta Humala, President Of Peru(25 of31)
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"We are against these kinds of espionage activities,"Peruvian President Ollanta Humala said in a televised interview. "It would be good for (Peru's) Congress to look with concern at privacy issues related to personal information."Peruvian President Ollanta Humala talks to the assistants to the ceremony of signature of a loan to Peru aiming to improve Ministry of Education systems the to assess student learning and to monitor pedagogical practices in regulating basic education signed by at the presidential Palace in Lima, Peru, on July 1, 2013 (CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.)(26 of31)
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Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) said "the administration owes the American public an explanation of what authorities it thinks it has." (credit:AP)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)(27 of31)
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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) thought everyone "should just calm down.""Right now I think everyone should just calm down and understand this isn't anything that's brand new," Reid said. (credit:Getty Images)
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)(28 of31)
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Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said in a statement:"This type of secret bulk data collection is an outrageous breach of Americans’ privacy." (credit:AP)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)(29 of31)
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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he was "glad" the NSA was collecting phone records. "I don’t mind Verizon turning over records to the government if the government is going to make sure that they try to match up a known terrorist phone with somebody in the United States," Graham said in an interview on "Fox and Friends." (credit:AP)
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.)(30 of31)
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Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) also claimed that reports of the NSA collecting phone records was "nothing particularly new.""Every member of the United States Senate has been advised of this," Chambliss said. "And to my knowledge we have not had any citizen who has registered a complaint relative to the gathering of this information." (credit:AP)
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.)(31 of31)
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Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) found the NSA collecting phone records "troubling.""The fact that all of our calls are being gathered in that way -- ordinary citizens throughout America -- to me is troubling and there may be some explanation, but certainly we all as citizens are owed that, and we're going to be demanding that," Corker said. (credit:AP)
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