Stockholm, Safar 18, 1438, Nov 18, 2016, SPA -- Former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden warned Friday against what he described as "the politics of fear" used by governments to push through more surveillance, dpa reported. "Terrorism has become something of a legislative magic wand," he said via an internet link to Oslo, Norway, from his exile in Russia. "Don't be afraid, be ready," he said to the Oslo audience, noting hard work lay ahead. The most effective response to wide-ranging repressive measures was to adopt "unbreakable" constitutional rights that are "not beholden to the passions of a current political elite," he argued. The presidency of Barack Obama in the US showed that "elected officials can and must be trusted as little as possible because campaign promises are not reliable," he said. Snowden is wanted by the US government on espionage charges for exposing extensive telephone and internet data-collection programmes used by the US National Security Agency (NSA). In March, Snowden was awarded the 2016 Ossietzky Prize from Norway's PEN Centre for outstanding efforts for freedom of expression. Last month, PEN Norway postponed an award ceremony planned for Friday until June amid legal efforts to secure assurances he would not be extradited to the US should he visit Norway. The Ossietzky prize is named after German journalist and pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, who won the 1936 Nobel Peace Prize for disclosing Germany's rearmament programmes that violated the Treaty of Versailles. He was jailed for treason and unable to attend the award ceremony in Oslo 80 years ago. -- SPA 21:29 LOCAL TIME 18:29 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w272163