UK and US
Edward Snowden and the NSA surveillance leaks
Status · Charges outstanding; lives in Russia
What happened
In June 2013 former NSA contractor Edward Snowden leaked documents revealing mass-surveillance programmes run by the US NSA and the UK's GCHQ. The US charged him under the Espionage Act; he remains in Russia. In 2021 the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights ruled that parts of GCHQ's bulk-interception regime breached the European Convention on Human Rights.
Written from the official records below. Links checked 08 Nov 2026.
Official record
- Justice Department statement on the request to Hong Kong for Edward Snowden's provisional arrestUS Department of Justice · published 26 Jun 2013
- Big Brother Watch and Others v. the United Kingdom (Grand Chamber)European Court of Human Rights · published 25 May 2021
- PCLOB — oversight reports on US surveillance programmesPrivacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
Main headlines
News — not an official source. Titles shown word for word.
- U.S. files charges against former NSA contractor SnowdenReuters · 21 Jun 2013
Videos on YouTube
Opens on YouTube. Broadcaster videos are news, not an official source.