The US government has filed a lawsuit against Edward Snowden for publishing his memoirs. At the launch of the Permanent Record book on Tuesday, the US Department of Justice said Snowden violated the confidentiality agreement book he signed with the US intelligence agencies CIA and NSA. Snowden is accused of having published the book without first submitting it for review as provided for in the agreements. Snowden had worked for the CIA and the NSA.
The ministry also said that the lawsuit should not stop the publication or distribution of the book. Instead, the government wants to access the revenue that Snowden generates through the book. Snowden's autobiography came on Tuesday in the US and also in Germany in the book trade.
Snowden already charged with espionage
The ex-intelligence officer had in 2013 documents to spying activities of the US monitoring service NSA and its British counterpart GCHQ given to journalists. Therefore, he was later charged with espionage in the US and wanted by warrant. While fleeing via Hong Kong, he said he wanted to Ecuador, but stranded at the Moscow airport, after the US government had canceled his passport. Snowden got asylum in Russia, after an extension currently until 2020. From Moscow, he keeps getting in the word. In an interview with SPIEGEL, he recently reiterated: "We have to stop mass data collection."
- Read the entire SPIEGEL interview with Edward Snowden here
Virginia State District Attorney Zachary Terwilliger said Tuesday's message: "Intelligence information should protect our nation, not provide personal profit." The lawsuit seeks to ensure that Snowden does not generate revenues from the breach of trust.
In several interviews to publish his memoirs Snowden had expressed his desire to receive asylum in an EU state such as Germany. His book was published in German under the title "Permanent Record: My Story".
