OSLO — Two Norwegian politicians nominated former NSA contractor Edward Snowden for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize on Wednesday, Jan. 29

Baard Vegar Solhjell and Snorre Valen of the Socialist Left party said in a joint statement that Snowden has “contributed to a more stable and peaceful world order” by exposing U.S. surveillance practices and forcing a new debate over security and privacy.

According to Norwegian Nobel Committee’s rules, as national lawmakers, Solhjell and Valen are qualified to make nominations. Snowden is currently in Russia where he is granted a one-year asylum. He is facing charges of espionage and theft of government property in the United states over the leaking of sensational details of spy programs.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee will collect the nominations up  until February 1, and the list of nominees will be finalized on March 4. The winner of the prize will be announced on Oct. 10.

Meanwhile, the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper called Wednesday for the former contractor and the journalists who received secret documents from him to return them to the NSA, claiming the the documents pose a “critical threat” to U.S. security.