Courage our network

Petitions

#SnowdentoOslo campaign launched to bring Edward Snowden to Norway

RootsAction, Norwegian PEN and Networkers South-North are launching a campaign and petition at 4pm local time today in support of bringing Edward Snowden to Norway in order to receive the Ossietzky Prize in November this year. The petition’s initial signatories include Noam Chomsky, Arundhati Roy, Daniel Ellsberg, Marit Arnstad, Jesselyn Radack, Arne Ruth, Ola Larsmo, Coleen Rowley, Thomas Drake, Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, Marjorie Cohn, William Binney, William Nygaard, John Kiriakou, Moddi og Mari Boine.

Continue reading →

Demand clemency for Edward Snowden!

This petition, started by libertarian politician and former US Congressman Ron Paul calls on the Obama administration “to let Mr. Snowden return home without the fear of persecution or imprisonment.” It has gained over 37,000 signatures in five months.

The revelations have and continue to open our minds to the truth and power of our government. We are being watched and recorded. And we don’t have to do anything wrong; individuals can be falsely attacked to derive suspicion.

Reflecting on Mr. Snowden’s sacrifices — his livelihood, citizenship and freedom — made to provide us with the disturbing scope of the National Security Agency (NSA) mass surveillance and data collection efforts, we at Voices of Liberty want to thank him for being a voice for freedom, liberty and truth.

Read more and sign: Demand Clemency For Edward Snowden!

Avaaz: President Dilma: Grant asylum to Edward Snowden

This Avaaz petition addressed to the Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and her Justice Minister José Eduardo Cardozo has gained more than 1,100,000 signatures worldwide since its launch in mid-January 2014.

As citizens from around the world deeply concerned with the massive violation of our privacy, we call on you to grant asylum to whistleblower Edward Snowden. As the leader of a global movement for internet freedom and privacy, Brazil is the perfect home for a man who sacrificed his life to disclose invasive and illegal US spying.

The petition was handed in to Brazil’s Justice Ministry on 13 February 2014. Read more and sign: Send Snowden Home

Index on Censorship: EU leaders: Stop mass surveillance

Using the hashtag #dontspyonme, Index on Censorship has joined forces with 38 other organisations, spanning associations of journalists, human rights groups and freedom of information campaigners, to call on EU leaders and heads of government to take action against the use of mass surveillance programs in European countries. The petition is available to sign in eight languages: English, Russian, Spanish, French, German, Polish, Bulgarian and Estonian.

Read more and sign the petition here: EU leaders: Stop mass surveillance

Stop Watching Us: Letter to Congress

The Stop Watching Us campaign’s letter to Congress has attracted more than 575,000 signatures so far. It calls for Congress to reveal the full extent of the NSA spying programmes, and to:

  • Enact reform this Congress to Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act, the state secrets privilege, and the FISA Amendments Act to make clear that blanket surveillance of the Internet activity and phone records of any person residing in the U.S. is prohibited by law and that violations can be reviewed in adversarial proceedings before a public court;
  • Create a special committee to investigate, report, and reveal to the public the extent of this domestic spying. This committee should create specific recommendations for legal and regulatory reform to end unconstitutional surveillance;
  • Hold accountable those public officials who are found to be responsible for this unconstitutional surveillance.

Read more and add your name to the letter here: Stop Watching Us.

Electronic Frontier Foundation: Demand answers now

When the government was caught spying on American citizens in the 1960s and 70s, Congress created the Church Committee to right the government’s wrongs. Recommendations from that commission resulted in legal reforms that ensured judicial oversight of surveillance programs. Congress must act in a similar fashion and create a 21st Century Church Committee and enact strong legislation to rein in the Executive Branch and protect our communications.

“For far too long, secret law and a secret surveillance state have been a dark shadow on Americans’ freedom. It’s time to shine a light on NSA’s spying.”

Join EFF in calling for a full investigation by emailing Congress today.

If you are based in the US, read more and add your name to the message to Congress here: Massive Spying Program Exposed: Demand Answers Now

If you don’t live in the US, you can take part in EFF’s international action here: It’s Time to Call on US Internet Companies to Demand Accountability and Transparency

We the People: Pardon Edward Snowden

The White House petition calling for President Obama to immediately and unconditionally pardon Edward Snowden for informing the American public about the NSA’s surveillance schemes reached its goal of 100,000 signatures less than two weeks after its launch on 9 June 2013.

The petiton had gained over 168,000 signatures, by the time the White House gave its response almost two years later. The response asserted that Snowden’s actions had caused unspecified “harm” without engaging with the substance of petitioners’ concerns.

Read more here: White House Petition to Pardon Snowden Reaches Goal of 100,000 Signatures

Sign the petition: We the People: Pardon Edward Snowden