German Parties Lose Court Bid To Quiz Edward Snowden In Berlin
German Court Rejects Bid by Opposition Parties to Fly CIA Mole Edward Snowden in to Testify About Country's Agencies
- Members of Greens and Left want panel to hear from Snowden in person
- Govt does not want him in Germany, as it fears this may strain US relations
- Snowden has said he will not speak from Moscow, where he is in exile
AP, 14 December 2014
The German government does not want to allow Edward Snowden into the country as it fears this may damage relations with the United States
Germany's highest court has thrown out a bid by opposition parties to force the government to allow Edward Snowden to come to Berlin to testify about the National Security Agency's activities.
Members of the opposition Greens and Left Party want a parliamentary panel investigating the NSA's operations to hear from the whistleblower in person.
But the government does not want to allow Snowden into the country, as it fears this could damage to relations with the US and put it under pressure to extradite him.
The Federal Constitutional Court said on Friday that it has rejected as legally inadmissible a suit by the two opposition parties against the government's stance.
Government parties on the panel suggested questioning Snowden in Moscow, where he is currently living in exile. But the former NSA contractor has said through a lawyer he will only speak to the panel if allowed to do so in Germany.
Snowden is currently wanted in the US after leaking classified details of government surveillance programmes.
Support for Snowden peaked in Germany last year when reports based on documents leaked by the whistleblower suggested that the NSA had targeted Chancellor Angela Merkel's cell phone.
Germany's chief federal prosecutor in June opened an investigation into the alleged monitoring of a cellphone Merkel used for party business.
But this week Harald Range said his office so far has found no actionable evidence that the calls were tapped.
'As of today, there is no evidence leading to charges that connection data were recorded or a phone call by the chancellor was listened to,' he said.
German magazine Der Spiegel broke the story of the alleged monitoring last year, citing documents provided by Snowden.
Edward Snowden, who is in Moscow, is seen on a giant screen during a live video conference for an interview as part of Amnesty International's annual Write for Rights campaign at the Gaite Lyrique in Paris this week
Range said his office does not have an original NSA document ordering the surveillance, and that Der Spiegel invoked its right to refuse testimony in response to a request to provide the original or answer questions about it.
The NSA has declined to comment.
Snowden has not responded to an offer to give a written statement, and requests for information to various German security authorities 'haven't taken us further', Range said.
However, he said the investigation continues and will take account of what a separate parliamentary inquiry finds out.
Support for Edward Snowden peaked in Germany last year when reports based on documents leaked by the whistleblower suggested that the NSA had targeted Chancellor Angela Merkel's cell phone
Germany Loses Bid To Quiz Edward Snowden In Berlin