Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor who exposed the US government's secret phone and internet surveillance programmes, said in an online forum on Monday that he could not get a fair trial in the United States.
"The US government, just as they did with other whistleblowers, immediately and predictably destroyed any possibility of a fair trial at home, openly declaring me guilty of treason and that the disclosure of secret, criminal and even unconstitutional acts is an unforgivable crime. That's not justice," he said on the Guardian newspaper website.
"I did not reveal any US operations against legitimate military targets," Snowden said.
"I pointed out where the NSA has hacked civilian infrastructure such as universities, hospitals and private businesses because it is dangerous."