[justincormack]

Non extradition due to death penalty might work anywhere in Europe. It might not if US says it won't execute Snowden (if they lie, then no one will ever be extradited on that basis again, as that would be illegal from then on).

[GHFigs]

For the sake of background: people bring up the prospect of the death penalty for espionage often in these cases, but it's not something the US has actually invoked since WWII, even in very clear-cut situations where money changed hands or people died as a result.

For example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noshir_Gowadia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hanssen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Kendall_Myers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_James_Nicholson

[grecy]

I don't think the US have any interest in the death penalty for Snowden.

They'd much rather him rot without trial in Guantanamo for the rest of his life, as to serve a better lesson to anyone thinking of following his footsteps.

[justincormack]

I don't think he could be extradited if he was going to not be tried either; that would also be illegal in the US as he is a citizen...

[toyg]

Oh, he would be "trialled", of course. With a special trial, that could last decades, time he gets to spend in protective custody, of course.

After all the bull*hit about "enemy combatants", my faith in the separation of powers in the US is quite nil.

[grecy]

It's clear America doesn't care about doing illegal things, even to American citizens

See: holding Manning for years without trial, killing American citizens without trail (overseas)