USA attacks Snowden for the publication of his memoirs

Published September 17, the autobiography of Edward Snowden would not go unnoticed: the media campaign that began on August 2, when the author unveiled the book was the best insurance against the US government – facing the risk of censorship. But the Department of Justice will have finally waited for the day of the release to attack the book.

Mike Mozart, CC BY 2.0

The whistleblower, Edward Snowden, and his publisher Metropolis Books, could not ignore the consequences of this act. Exiled in Russia until 2020, to escape legal reprisals, Snowden has just asked again to France to grant him the right to asylum. He claims to have already submitted this request, in 2013, while Francois Hollande was president – June 22, 2013, the United States accused him of espionage, theft and prohibited use of government data, forcing him to flee. All this for having revealed to the public all the means of surveillance deployed – plays, collection, data processing operated by the CIA and the NSA.

Violation of confidentiality clauses

According to the statement released September 17, date of the release of the book Permanent RecordsThe Department of Justice, DoJ, considers that Snowden has broken the non-disclosure agreements with the CIA and the NSA. And this, on the grounds that the book was not submitted to them before being marketed. The government also claims that it has violated other secrecy clauses by delivering speeches on intelligence-related issues. In this way, all income related to the sale of the work could be seized. One point, however: the government is not in a position to ban commercialization or publication. This would conflict with Snowden's rights, and the First Amendment of the Constitution.

However, since Snowden currently resides in Russia, it seems complex for the United States to claim copyright. However, it remains possible to sue the publisher, if it prevented Justice from seizing the sums, or refused that they be directly transferred.

The DoJ states that " the United States is suing its publisher only to ensure that no funds will be transferred to Snowden". Virginia West District Attorney General G. Zachary Terwilliger insists: "The information provided should protect our country and not generate personal profit. This lawsuit will ensure that Edward Snowden will not derive any commercial benefit from the trust placed in him."What are the clauses that an American citizen in exile could have violated? Simple: Former employee of the CIA, Snowden would remain subject to measures of confidentiality. And the US must protect "Confidential information relating to national security". Former employees of the agencies are therefore obliged to say nothing – although in the case of Snowden, this warning seems rather superfluous.

The book will be published on September 19 at Seuil, translated by Étienne Menanteau and Aurélien Blanchard, under the titleBright memories.