Shit vad bra!!! Vad är nästa steg? Aug 29, 2013 kl. 11:35 skrev Erik Josefsson <[email protected]>:
> Sydsvenskan publicerar idag 29 augusti en artikel av Professor Stefan > Svallfors: > "Låt Snowden få Sacharovpriset" > http://www.sydsvenskan.se/opinion/aktuella-fragor/lat-snowden-fa-sacharovpriset/ > Nedan en engelsk version. > > //Erik > > A Sakharov for our time? > > Since 1988, the European Parliament has awarded the Sakharov Prize. According > to its statutes, this is given to a person or group "who made remarkable > efforts to defend human rights and fundamental freedoms" and thus "worked > against intolerance, fanaticism and oppression." > > The award is given in memory of the Russian physicist Andrei Sakharov > (1921-1989), known as one of the men behind the hydrogen bomb but even more > as a Soviet dissident with his Human Rights Committee and his defense of > political prisoners. Sakharov stands as a symbol of the individual human > being who dares to stand up against tyranny and oppression, even when the > personal cost is very high. > > A most deserving recipient of the 2013 price would be the American whistle > blower Edward Snowden. In May, The Guardian published his disclosure of the > extensive, illegal and deeply intrusive monitoring conducted by the American > National Security Agency. For this heroic effort Snowden has paid a heavy > personal price. He is hunted as an outlaw by the U.S. government, accused of > crimes that will put him in jail for the rest of his life. The U.S. > government has threatened the governments that dare to offer him asylum with > serious consequences. In a painful irony, the only sanctuary that had been > found for Snowden is Russia, a country whose democratic problems and > authoritarian tendencies are obvious. > > But is really Snowden a worthy recipient of the prize, someone may sneeze. Is > not America the world's leading democracy, a friend of Europe, committed to > the rule of law? Yes. But even democracies can hide pockets of tyranny in > their hearts, a democratic state may well coexist with other systems that are > characterized by anything but democracy and law. As the monitoring system > which now puts its global tentacles far into the private lives of citizens. > By exposing this system Snowden made it possible for us to say No – this is > not a development and a society we want, we protect our civil rights and > freedoms when they are threatened. > > Snowden's revelations make explicit demands on citizens and politicians to > act and react. How have we responded to these demands? Not in any impressive > way one must say. Individual politicians and many citizens have reacted, > expressed support for Snowden, trying to act in his defense. They see the > unpleasant consequences of a surveillance system where innocent citizens get > their electronic communication and their phone calls tapped and mapped. The > German President Joachim Gauck, with his personal East German experience, for > example stated that Snowden "deserves respect" for his actions. But otherwise > an awkward silence, evasive answers, gentle tiptoeing. Merkel hums, The > European Commission whispers, the parliaments remain silent. > > On the Swedish side, even more depressing inaction is observed. Sweden acts > together with Britain to make sure the question should not be addressed at > European level. This is a bilateral issue and by the way, no Swedish > interests are at stake, the Foreign Minister distractedly announces before > returning to Twitter. The government obviously sees no reason to allow this > issue to eclipse the splendor of Obama's forthcoming state visit. From the > political left, a complete disinterest is shown. No social democratic > position is advanced or even formulated. > > It is tragic to see how thin the liberal veneer is in many places. When > liberalism is no longer easy and obvious, when it requires courage and > sacrifice, when we are forced to choose and our choices have real costs, what > happens then? We fall into line, we bend to power. Without grumbling we let > fairly manageable threats from terrorists sweep away fundamental rights and > freedoms. > > We must demand more of ourselves and our elected officials than that. We > could start by giving Edward Snowden the price whose name symbolizes a man > who refused to bow to oppression and thereby actually changed history. > > > > Stefan Svallfors > Professor of Sociology at Umeå University > & the Institute for Future Studies
