Dozens of high-profile public figures have co-signed a letter in support of Edward Snowden and calling for greater protections for whistleblowers.
Actor-turned-wannabe-guru Russell Brand, philosopher Slavoj Zizek, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson are among the fifty-plus signatories standing “in support of those fearless whistleblowers and publishers who risk their lives and careers to stand up for truth and justice.”
The statement has been organised by non-profit advocacy group The Courage Foundation, which—among other things—runs the legal defence fund for Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who currently lives in exile in Russia after leaking thousands of highly-classified documents about America’s surveillance capabilities.
In addition to Snowden, the statement singles out as worthy of support whistleblowing website Wikileaks, jailed Wikileaks source Chelsea Manning, computer hacker Jeremy Hammond and Daniel Ellsberg, leaker of the historic Pentagon Papers in 1971.
“It is up to all of us as free-thinking citizens to demand truly transparent democracy and high, unbiased moral standards from those who govern us,” said Lord of the Rings actor Viggo Mortensen. “I hope everyone can chip in to support Snowden and those patriotic whistleblowers that come after him.”
Other signatories include activist John Perry Barlow, philosopher Noam Chomsky, Gravity director Alfonso Cuaron, comic and screenwriter Terry Gilliam, musicians P J Harvey, Moby, M.I.A. and Tom Morello, journalist John Pilger, and director Oliver Stone.