Wikileaks founder Julian Assange said he does not see “irony” in NSA leaker Edward Snowden seeking asylum from countries that have been criticized for their treatment of their citizens.
“I simply do not see the irony. Mr. Snowden has revealed info about mass, unlawful spying which has affected every single one of us. The U.S. administration has issued a series of bellicose, unilateral threats against him and against others who are attempting to support his rights. That is a very serious situtation and any country that has assisted in upholding his rights must be applauded for doing so,” said Assange.
A reporter pressed and asked Assange whether those countries should be “applauded” for their treamtenet of their own citizens.
“That’s another matter in these cases. We do not criticize people for seeking refugee status in the U.S. despite its use of torture, drone strikes, … executive kill lists and so on. No one is suggesting that countries like Ecuador are engaged in those types of abuses,” Assange said.
