Edward Snowden has finally escaped his month-long Moscow airport purgatory and arrived in Russian territory, according to the Associated Press. The NSA whistleblower had already been granted temporary asylum by the Putin-led government after Bolivia and Venezuela also offered to take the fugitive, and was awaiting paperwork in order to leave Sheremetyevo Airport. The NSA's arch-enemy will be granted a year's stay, according to his Russian lawyer, and will be able to re-apply to remain after that. Now that his Russian residency has been established, most press outlets expect a strong reaction from the US government after it assured Moscow that Snowden wouldn't face the death penalty if deported. For its part, Russia said it has no intention of handing over the man who blew the lid off the pervasive PRISM monitoring program.
Filed under: Misc
Source: AP (Twitter), WSJ
According to the Washington Post, Russia has decided to grant Edward Snowden permission to leave the Moscow airport. Though the NSA whistleblower has been offered asylum in Bolivia and Venezuela, he reportedly requested temporary asylum in the Eastern European country last week. While the Putin government didn't approve Snowden's application immediately, it's refused to hand him over to the U.S. since he arrived in Shremetyevo airport from Hong Kong on June 23rd. It's unclear if and when the country will approve the request, but Snowden's Russian lawyer said his client's unique legal situation would keep him in the transit zone for at least one more day. Stay tuned -- we'll be updating as more information becomes available.
Via: Washington Post
Now that PRISM leaker Edward Snowden has spent a few days in Russia with a US extradition request looming over him, WikiLeaks legal advisor Sarah Harrison has submitted asylum applications and requests for asylum assistance to a raft of countries on his behalf. The first to step up to the plate is apparently Venezuela, as it's president Nicolas Maduro stated during a parade that it has rejected US requests for extradition and will offer him political and humanitarian asylum. Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega previously said his country would offer Snowden asylum "if circumstances permit."
Update: Reports are out that Bolivia's president, Evo Morales, has joined in offering Snowden asylum. As USA Today notes, this comes hot on the heels of when his plane was barred from flying over European airspace for hours, over concerns Snowden hitched a ride from Russia under the radar.
Filed under: Internet
Source: Wikileaks, Reuters, Eva Golinger (Twitter)
Even if he anticipated the risks involved in turning whisteblower, Edward Snowden can't have imagined the rushed, convoluted journey he'd have to take to avoid the full wrath of the US government. First to Hong Kong; most recently to Moscow, and perhaps soon to Ecuador (via Cuba and Venezuela) where he has apparently made a request for asylum. Strongly worded demands for his capture have followed every step of the way, with the White House National Security Council expressing "disappointment" that Hong Kong allowed Snowden to flee and now urging Russia (which has no formal extradition treaty with America) to "expel Mr. Snowden back to the US to face justice for the crimes with which he is charged." In an effort to help the fugitive navigate the maze of diplomatic fault lines, WikiLeaks has stepped up to say that its own legal advisors are "escorting" Snowden towards his final destination, likely making use of the knowledge they gained while protecting Julian Assange, and that it sees US efforts to arrest him as an "assault against the people."
Filed under: Internet
Source: WikiLeaks, CBS News, @RicardoPatinoEC (Twitter)