Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by Norwegian politicians

Two Norwegian politicians have jointly nominated former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, saying his disclosures of secret US documents have contributed to making the world more peaceful.

Anyone can be nominated for the prestigious award, so the submission yesterday by Socialist lawmakers Baard Vegard Solhjell, a former environment minister, and Snorre Valen means Snowden will be one of scores of names the Nobel committee will consider.

"We do not necessarily condone or support all of his disclosures," the two lawmakers said in their nomination letter. "We are, however, convinced that the public debate and changes in policy that have followed in the wake of Snowden's whistle-blowing have contributed to a more stable and peaceful world order."

They praised him for revealing the "nature and technological prowess of modern surveillance".

"The level of sophistication and depth of surveillance that citizens all over the world are subject to have stunned us, and stirred debate," they wrote.

They added that Snowden's actions had "led to the reintroduction of trust and transparency as a leading principle in global security policies".