Others pointed out the contrast between Trump’s decision to pardon the Blackwater US military contractors convicted of killing civilians in Iraq and “shady political operatives”, but not Assange and Snowden, who many observers view as icons of press freedom.
Snowden, 37, fled the US after leaking secret National Security Agency files in 2013 and was given asylum in Russia. In November he announced that he would seek Russian citizenship together with his wife for the sake of their family; the couple are expecting a baby.
US authorities have for years wanted Snowden returned to face a criminal trial on espionage charges.