Majority of Americans Support Snowden's Prosecution

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Edward Snowden is a “free man”, as he bides his time in the transit section of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport. The former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, responsible for one of the largest security leaks in U.S. history, traded Hong Kong for Moscow on Sunday, as he attempts to outrun American extradition attempts.

Meanwhile, a ferocious debate has raged across the United States from Capitol Hill to quaint cafes about Snowden’s potential fate. Pending charges of espionage await Snowden if efforts to extradite him prove successful. The Pew Research Center has conducted an interesting survey in tandem with USA TODAY regarding both the leak and Snowden’s prosecution.

Out of 1,512 Americans surveyed, a majority of 54 percent believed Edward Snowden should be prosecuted for leaking confidential NSA information. 38 percent believed no criminal proceedings should take place, while 8 percent did not know.

A poll regarding the effect of Snowden’s leak proved much more divisive. 44 percent of respondents held the opinion that the link would harm public interests, while 49 percent felt Snowden’s actions served public interests. 3 percent answered neither/both, while 2 percent did not know.