“As Snowden has stated, his biggest concern was if he blew the whistle and change did not occur,” Julian Assange said in a written statement.

“Well, reforms are taking shape, and for that, the president and people of the United States and around the world owe Edward Snowden a debt of gratitude.”…

“The simple fact is that without Snowden’s disclosures, no one would know about the programs and no reforms could take place,” Assange said.