EU votes to offer protection to 'human rights defender' Snowden from extradition, he hails it as 'extraordinary'

US intelligence whistle-blower Edward Snowden on Thursday hailed a European Parliament vote urging EU member states to take him in and offer protection as an "extraordinary" gesture of support.[caption id="attachment_2488880" align="alignleft" width="380"] File photo. Image courtesy: AP[/caption]In a resolution, EU lawmakers called on the bloc's 28 member states to grant protection to Snowden as a "human rights defender" after he blew the lid on the US government's mass surveillance programmes.While the European Parliament voted 285-281 in favour of giving Snowden protection, the vote has no legal force, CNN reported.MEPs urged member states to "drop any criminal charges against Edward Snowden, grant him protection and consequently prevent extradition or rendition by third parties, in recognition of his status as whistle-blower and international human rights defender."In a tweet, Snowden said the vote was "extraordinary.""This is not a blow against the US government but an open hand extended by friends. It is a chance to move forward," he said in a second tweeted message.However, a US spokesperson said that US' policy on him has not changed and that it is their belief that he 'put US national security in great danger and he needs to held account to that', according to the CNN report.Snowden has been living in exile in Russia since June 2013 and faces US charges of espionage and theft of state property which could put him in jail for 30 years. He says he was doing his duty as a citizen by informing others about the surveillance programmes which scooped up massive amounts of personal data in the name of national security.Earlier this month, he hailed the top EU court's decision to strike down a transatlantic data deal used by companies like Facebook to send citizens' personal data to the US. The European Court of Justice said the "Safe Harbour" accord between the United States and the European Commission was invalid because it did not guarantee protection of Europeans' personal data.With inputs from AFP