U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has agreed to stand as a candidate for rector at one of Britain's oldest universities, a position that involves representing the students to the school's management, a news report said.
A group of students at the University of Glasgow have nominated Snowden for the job as an "opportunity to show our gratitude to a brave whistleblower," and he has agreed to run, Edinburgh-based newspaper The Scotsman reported on Wednesday.
Voting for the three-year position takes place on Feb. 17 and 18. Other candidates are Scottish cyclist and inventor Graeme Obree, pro-Scottish independence writer Alan Bissett and Episcopal clergyman, Kelvin Holdsworth.
Charles Kennedy, the former Liberal Democrat leader, currently holds the position, and previous rectors have included the Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordecai Vanunu and South African politician Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, news reports said.
Snowden's passport was revoked and the U.S. has issued warrant for his arrest for leaking documents about its surveillance program, making it unlikely that he would be able to travel to Glasgow. He has been living at an undisclosed location in Russia after being granted a one year asylum, and generally communicates via his lawyer, through which the Scottish students arranged his nomination.
Some of the activists who held the post in the past have been unable to come to Glasgow, The Associated Press reported.
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