He acted in an emergency situation to stop and prevent terrible things. According to both German and American law, the government can grant immunity when criminal laws are violated in order to defend the paramount right to freedom. Publicly announcing a crime should not be a crime. The United States has long had laws to protect whistle-blowers from punishment — and we Germans aspire to have such laws.

According to recent surveys by ARD, a German TV station, 60 percent of Germans see Mr. Snowden as a hero and only 14 percent as a criminal. They know his courageous revelations were intended to protect freedom and the values that we share with America.

One of us met Mr. Snowden two weeks ago in Moscow. He said that he revealed these secrets to defend fundamental American values of freedom and democracy. He wanted to put an end to the nearly unlimited surveillance of the population and to the National Security Agency’s crimes in the United States and across the world. He is willing to testify before the German parliament (though he would prefer to do so on Capitol Hill). Mr. Snowden is an American patriot, not an anti-American.

We Germans owe Mr. Snowden thanks and appreciation — and a safe and permanent residence in Germany.

There would be no obligation to extradite him, since the extradition treaty between the United States and Germany clearly forbids extradition if a person is being prosecuted for a political crime like espionage or treason, as is obvious in Mr. Snowden’s case.

There’s no doubt that the German-American relationship is sorely strained; according to a recent survey, only 35 percent of Germans still see the United States as a trustworthy partner. And it is clear that a decision to grant Mr. Snowden asylum in Germany would strain our relationship even more.