Come in, Nicaragua Is Your Home

The espionage carried out by the United States threatens the sovereignty of nations and the citizens’ right to privacy. According to the leaks by Edward Snowden, the pirating of electronic materials, the network of control antennas, the infiltration of intercontinental communication cables and PRISM — a vast monitoring and secret analysis program of Internet, email, telephone communications and data transmissions — affect more than 38 countries, organizations and embassies in the U.N., not to mention the spying on civilians through Google, YouTube, Facebook, Microsoft and others.

On June 30, Snowden presented his request for asylum in which he stated: “I, Edward Snowden, citizen of the United States of America, request asylum in the Republic of Nicaragua because of the risk of being persecuted by the government of the United States and its agents in relation to my decision to make public serious violations on the part of the government of the United States of its Constitution, specifically of its Fourth and Fifth Amendments, and of various treaties of the United Nations that are binding on my country As a result of my political opinions and of my desire to exercise my freedom of expression, through which I have shown that the U.S. is intercepting the majority of the world’s communications, the government has publicly announced a criminal investigation against me.”

The Fourth Amendment states: “The right of the people to be secure in their person, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.”

And the Fifth Amendment states: “No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”

These amendments mandate that the authorities present before a judge the need for a search warrant and that they obtain it from him, because evidence obtained illegally cannot be legally submitted as proof in a court of law. Capital crimes are punishable by the death penalty, and a felony is punishable by death or prison.

Grand jury indictment, respect for due process and the right to not be deprived of life, liberty or property are not subject to the complete discretion of public officials. Snowden has not committed a crime against peace, a war crime or crimes against humanity

President Ortega announced that he would grant him political asylum in accordance with Article 42 of the Nicaraguan Constitution and Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This gesture is not a mistake, a diplomatic imprudence, a threat to business relations, a distraction or showing off. It is a necessary, respectable humanitarian act. It is an ethical decision, not a political one.