Edward Snowden appears via satellite link for Glasgow University rector ceremony
US whistleblower Edward Snowden has been officially installed as rector of Glasgow University.
Whistleblower: Edward Snowden
Snowden was elected in February after the surprise announcement a month before that Snowden had agreed to stand for the position after being contacted by students.
He addressed the ceremony via a satellite link from Russia, where he has been granted temporary asylum, and told those attending he could not attend in person because he is not allowed to enter to the UK.
He said: “In a democracy people have a right to know the policies of their government. This idea that if we believe in something we should stand up for it is what I will follow in my role as rector of the university.”
Snowden, 30, succeeds former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy in the role. Previous rectors include Winnie Mandela.