The father of Edward Snowden (culprit of U.S. intelligence leaks and target of an international manhunt), Lon Snowden, published an open letter via his lawyer on Tuesday, praising him for “”summoning the American people to confront the growing danger of tyranny.”

Edward Snowden, currently seeking asylum in 19 different countries, has not been able to contact his father while seeking political asylum from the Obama administration.

Julian Assange, acting on behalf of Wikileaks has been acting as the middle-man for the father and son, transmitting information between the two parties, according to a phone conversation with Lon. Snowden is currently in Russia, although Putin recently published a press-conference in Moscow urging Snowden to rethink his stance on the United States.

Prior to the call, Lon told NBC that his son may have broken the law, but was not a traitor.

The open letter tells Edward that: ”(w)hat you have done and are doing has awakened congressional oversight of the intelligence community from deep slumber” and “forced onto the national agenda the question of Whether the American people prefer the right to be left alone from government snooping absent probable cause. … You are a modern day Paul Revere: summoning the American people to confront the growing danger of tyranny and one branch government.”

Lon Snowden and lawyer Bruce Fein continue to try and bring his son back to the US under suitable terms.