Ex-NSA employee turned whistleblower Edward Snowden, Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald and filmmaker Laura Poitras - the trio that broke the NSA spying news last year - have received the Carl von Ossietzky award in Berlin. The award honors those who exhibit extraordinary civic courage or commitment to the spread and defense of human rights. The International League for Human Rights, which has awarded the prize since 1962, said Snowden was chosen for his "momentous decision of conscience to put personal freedom on the line" to expose the "abuse of power" exercised by the US and Germany.