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| Star Trek's Zachary Quinto calls for return of Edward Snowden | Star Trek's Zachary Quinto calls for return of Edward Snowden |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The actor Zachary Quinto has called for Edward Snowden to be allowed to return to the United States without facing espionage charges. | |
| The Star Trek actor said the National Security Agency whistleblower had acted with great courage and it was absurd to brand him a “treasonist” while he remained in exile in Russia. | The Star Trek actor said the National Security Agency whistleblower had acted with great courage and it was absurd to brand him a “treasonist” while he remained in exile in Russia. |
| Quinto plays the journalist Glenn Greenwald in the Oliver Stone film Snowden, which tells the story of how the former NSA analyst leaked details of mass government surveillance in 2013. | Quinto plays the journalist Glenn Greenwald in the Oliver Stone film Snowden, which tells the story of how the former NSA analyst leaked details of mass government surveillance in 2013. |
| Speaking at the film’s premiere in Toronto, Quinto – known for his role as Spock in the rebooted Star Trek films – told the Press Association: “I do think [Snowden] should be able to come back [to the US]. I think it’s a very complicated issue in terms of how that would happen. | Speaking at the film’s premiere in Toronto, Quinto – known for his role as Spock in the rebooted Star Trek films – told the Press Association: “I do think [Snowden] should be able to come back [to the US]. I think it’s a very complicated issue in terms of how that would happen. |
| “The idea of him being charged under the Espionage Act or branded as a treasonist is absurd. I think he is someone of great integrity and great courage. I think what he did is underestimated now, in a lot of ways, but I think will be looked back on with the magnitude it deserves. | “The idea of him being charged under the Espionage Act or branded as a treasonist is absurd. I think he is someone of great integrity and great courage. I think what he did is underestimated now, in a lot of ways, but I think will be looked back on with the magnitude it deserves. |
| “Hopefully he can enjoy some freedoms again in his life. He deserves that in my opinion.” | “Hopefully he can enjoy some freedoms again in his life. He deserves that in my opinion.” |
| Snowden faces charges in the US that could lead to a jail term of up to 30 years. He has previously said he would return to the US if he was guaranteed a fair trial. | |
| The actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt said he was honoured to play the role of Snowden, with whom he had a “valuable” four-hour meeting in Moscow. | The actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt said he was honoured to play the role of Snowden, with whom he had a “valuable” four-hour meeting in Moscow. |
| Speaking at the premiere, he said: “There were voices in my professional life who said, ‘He’s a controversial figure, you know this might not be the most commercially viable choice to make.’ It’s not how I made my decision. | |
| “In reading up on him and really learning about what he did and why he did it, I felt grateful for what he did and honoured I got to play him. | “In reading up on him and really learning about what he did and why he did it, I felt grateful for what he did and honoured I got to play him. |
| “I don’t think a single label is appropriate. Everyone tries to simplify this story. It’s not simple, it’s complicated. I would encourage anybody to look into it themselves rather than taking one quick soundbite or tweet and thinking you have an understanding of what’s really happening.” | “I don’t think a single label is appropriate. Everyone tries to simplify this story. It’s not simple, it’s complicated. I would encourage anybody to look into it themselves rather than taking one quick soundbite or tweet and thinking you have an understanding of what’s really happening.” |
| Snowden is to be screened at the London film festival on 15 October. | Snowden is to be screened at the London film festival on 15 October. |