Former US Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano opposes idea of clemency for Snowden

Appearing on NBC's Meet the Press, Napolitano said "Snowen has exacted quite a bit of damage and did it in a way that violated the law. I think he has committed crimes and I think that the damage we'll see now and we'll see it for years to come. I would not put clemency on the table at all." The revelatory documents, leaked by Snowden to the media, gave rise to a squall of criticism leveled at the National Security Agency (NSA) on the part of American humn rights advocates who stated a violation by security services of the right to the inviolability of private life. This forced the administration of President Barack Obama to set about a revision of programs for the gathering of data by electronic means and to suggest that a group of independent experts prepare a study on the subject. Their recommendations were referred to the White House and President Obama is planning to announce certain changes in the NSA's work soon.