Edward Snowden Asks For Temporary Asylum In Russia

Edward Snowden Asks For Temporary Asylum In Russia

Former NSA employee and one of the most wanted men on the planet Edward Snowden has asked Russian authorities for temporary asylum filling in the necessary paperwork with the help of Anatoly Kucherena, a lawyer who is famous for his close ties to the Kremlin.

Snowden has been stranded at the Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow for the past three weeks as he is unable to take up permanent asylum in one of the many South American countries that offer it because he has no official papers.

While his lawyer said that he plans to stay in Russia for the moment, U.S. representatives said that he should be extradited and the only instance in which he should be allowed to travel is to come to the United States to face a trial.

U.S. representatives also mentioned that Mr. Snowden is not a political activist or anything of the sort; however he is a dissident that is accused of bringing classified information to the public.

Anatoly Kucherena said that his client may face torture and even execution if he returned to the United States and that if his application will be accepted he will be free to work and reside in Russia.

Edward Snowden’s leaks have blown the whistle on how the NSA was gathering huge amounts of phone and web data from users worldwide.

Posted by James Fried on Wednesday July 17 2013, 3:05 AM EDT. Ref: BBC. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0