Former NSA contractor-turned-whitsleblower, Snowden, exposed the world's intelligence agencies' mass global surveillance programs in the summer of 2013. He is wanted in the United States on a number of charges, including espionage and theft of government property.
"I think one of the most disappointing things… is that the countries and the governments that have most benefited from the risks that Edward Snowden took — which certainly includes the German government… are the same ones that have most shamefully turned their back on him," the founder of The Intercept said.
"And then to have the German government refuse to take any minimal risk, any kind of increased tension with the United States to turn around and protect his rights the way that he has protected theirs, I definitely think that has been shameful," he added.
On Tuesday, a YouGov poll commissioned by Amnesty International revealed that 81 percent of German citizens faced strongest opposition to mass surveillance.
