Swedish professor nominates NSA leaker Snowden for Nobel Peace PrizeJuly 15, 2013 - 15:48 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A sociology professor in Sweden has recommended NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prize, Daily Mail said. In a letter addressed to the Norwegian Nobel Committee and published in Swedish newspaper Västerbottens-Kuriren, Professor Stefan Svallfors nominated Snowden for his 'heroic effort at great personal cost' shedding light on the expansive cyber-spying conducted by the U.S. National Security Agency. Because of his bravery, Snowden 'helped to make the world a little bit better and safer,' Svallfors wrote. A nomination for Snowden would be symbolic because it shows 'that individuals can stand up for fundamental rights and freedoms.' Svallfors compares Snowden's act to the rulings in the Nuremberg trials of 1945 because 'I was just following orders' was not held as a viable excuse for the Nazis who carried out human rights atrocities. Svallfors also believes this will help the Peace Prize regain some of respect it lost after prematurely awarding Barack Obama the award in 2009. 'It would show its willingness to stand up in defense of civil liberties and human rights, even when such a defense [could] be viewed with disfavor by the world's dominant military power.' But it may be too late for Snowden to receive the award this year. Nominations for laureates must be postmarked no later than February 1 for consideration in the following December's prizes. Between the months of March and August the advisers review the short list of candidates. However, Svallfors' nomination should be taken seriously by the committee for next year's prize. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |