The United Nations’ top human rights official has suggested Edward Snowden should not face trial. Navi Pillay, the U.N high commissioner for human rights, said Snowden had exposed violations and sparked a global debate about privacy.

Navi Pillay: “Those who disclose human rights violations should be protected. We need them. And I see some of it here in the case of Snowden, because his revelations go to the core of what we are saying about the need for transparency, the need for consultation of all, as what we say, 'multi-stakeholders,' everybody concerned. So we do owe it to him for drawing our attention to this issue.”

Pillay added that in light of Snowden’s disclosure of U.S. spying on the United Nations, she cannot be sure that she is not the target of surveillance. Snowden recently applied to extend his one-year asylum in Russia, which expires at the end of the month. On Wednesday, Russia said it expects to grant Snowden’s request within a week.