The American Civil Liberties Union has launched a petition calling for the amnesty of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
Describing Snowden as a great American who deserves full immunity for his patriotic acts, the ACLU said that it was proud to serve as his legal advisors.
According to the news.cnet.com web site, the petition has collected over 40,000 signatures so far, and the oal is to reach 45,000.
The demand for amnesty fro Snowden comes as U.S.President Barack Obams is set to announce possible reform proposals to the NSA's surveillance programs.
Snowden is currently living in exile in Russia after reportedly stealing 1.7 million classified documents from U.S. Government computers last June.
He leaked the documents to the media-leading to the public discovering that the government has been spying on its citizens via metadata from Internet companies and through cellular records.
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Snowden's yearlong temporary asylum granted by Russia is expected come to an end this year.
If he isn't given immunity by the U.S., it's unclear where he will end up.
Brazil is a possible contender, as its government has been debating whether to grant him asylum.
While the topic of a pardon for Snowden is still highly contentious, some officials have shown signs of softening the government's stance toward the former NSA contractor.