MOSCOW, May 30 (UPI) -- Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden has been invited to a panel at a ceremony honoring Russian Internet journalism, which will include an award named in his honor.
Alexey Venediktov, editor-in-chief of the Echo Moskvi radio station and head of the Russian Internet Media Awards, said a "Snowden Award" for investigative journalism will be presented this fall.
"We got in touch with him this April for the first time and suggested to name the award after him. He agreed," Venediktov said, adding Snowden has not yet responded to an invitation to join the jury panel.
Snowden, who spilled National Security Agency secrets, currently resides in Russia. Echo Moskvi, with about nine million weekly listeners, is regarded as one of Russia's most influential independent radio stations.
