Ben Wizner facts for kids

Ben Wizner (born 1971) is an American lawyer and writer. He works to protect people's rights and freedoms. He is a civil liberties advocate with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Since July 2013, he has been the main lawyer for Edward Snowden. Snowden is known for sharing secret information about the NSA.

Ben Wizner's Early Life and Education

Ben Wizner was born in 1971 in New Haven, Connecticut. He grew up near Yale University, where his father was a law professor. From high school, Ben wanted to work for social justice. This means he wanted to make sure everyone is treated fairly.

After graduating from Harvard College in 1993, he helped people who were homeless. At New York University School of Law, he planned to help communities in need. He also wanted to work on cases about serious legal issues. After law school, he worked for a judge.

Ben Wizner's Career as a Lawyer

Wizner started working for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Los Angeles in 2001. At first, he focused on making prisons better. After the September 11 attacks, his work changed. He started focusing on how national security affects people's rights.

Around 2004, he moved to the ACLU's main office in New York City. There, he worked on cases about airport security and government watchlists. He also worked on cases about how the government watches people. He visited the Guantanamo Bay detention camp several times. Many of his cases were dismissed by the courts. He later said that sometimes he felt like he was just creating a record. This record would help people look back and decide if decisions made were right or wrong.

Helping Khalid El-Masri

Starting in 2005, Wizner helped Khalid El-Masri. El-Masri was a German citizen who was arrested by mistake. He was held by the CIA for five months. This happened even though there was proof he was the wrong person. El-Masri's lawsuit in the U.S. was dismissed. This was because of rules about government secrets. However, the CIA later admitted they made a mistake. The European Court of Human Rights ruled against the country where El-Masri was arrested.

In 2011, Wizner became the director of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. He is also a professor at New York University School of Law. He writes for different websites and magazines. He has also spoken to the U.S. Congress. You might have seen him on TV news shows.

His Work with Edward Snowden

In 2013, Edward Snowden contacted a journalist and a filmmaker. These people knew Ben Wizner. The filmmaker talked to Wizner before meeting Snowden. Later, Wizner got in touch with Snowden in July 2013. Snowden was stuck in Moscow because his passport was taken away. Wizner and Snowden talked using secret messages.

Snowden's legal team includes other lawyers who help people who speak out. They work for free to help Snowden stay free. They also want him to keep sharing his ideas. Wizner helps manage media requests for Snowden. He believes Snowden will return to the U.S. someday.

Wizner calls the Snowden case "the work of a lifetime." He had tried for years to sue U.S. intelligence agencies. But his cases were often dismissed because he didn't have the right to sue. When Snowden showed that a phone company was giving data to the government, the ACLU finally had a reason to sue. Because of his work with Snowden, a newspaper called him a very important person.

Ben Wizner's Public Views

Wizner believes everyone has a right to privacy. He has spoken out against too much government watching. He strongly supports Snowden, saying he broke the law for the public good.

After Julian Assange was arrested in 2019, Ben Wizner spoke out. He said that prosecuting Assange for sharing secrets would be dangerous. He believes it would set a bad example for journalists. Journalists often share foreign secrets to inform the public.