A demonstrator against spying holds a sign asking for asylum for former NSA contractor Edward Snowden outside US Army's 'Dagger Complex' near Griesheim, Germany, Saturday, July 26, 2014. The massively secured property is run by the US Military and supposed to be used by the US intelligence agency NSA (National Security Agency). (AP Photo/Michael Probst)(AP Photo/Michael Probst)The Associated Press

MOSCOW Edward Snowden's temporary asylum status in Russia will expire at midnight Thursday, but the former U.S. National Security Agency systems administrator appears set to stay on until authorities decide on his application for an extension.

Snowden was stranded in a Moscow airport last year en route from Hong Kong to Cuba, shortly after he revealed the NSA's sprawling program of tapping phones. He received temporary asylum in Russia, attracting Washington's ire.

Under Russian law, that status must be renewed annually. Snowden's lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, was quoted by the state news agency RIA Novosti on Thursday as saying he expected a decision soon on the application and that Snowden could stay at least until the decision is made.

Visit link:
Snowden's asylum status in Russia ending, but he waits for decision on extension

The reports that Edward Snowden has been living in Russia with precarious temporary leave to remain rather than under any formal asylum protection is further evidence he must be allowed to travel to and seek asylum in the country of his choice, said Amnesty International today.

Russias one-year permit for the whistleblower and former US intelligence analyst to stay in the country is now reported to have expired without confirmation that it will be extended.

Edward Snowden is cornered in a legal limbo, without a passport or asylum protection from any government, said Sherif Elsayed-Ali, Deputy Director of Global Thematic Issues at Amnesty International.

States should fully consider any asylum application from Edward Snowden, taking into account the massive human rights violations that he exposed, and noting the US governments repressive actions against him.

We call on all governments not to block him from travelling in order to seek protection. By interfering in his ability to do so, they are effectively complicit with the USA in his unjustified and repressive punishment, said Sherif Elsayed-Ali.

European states have reportedly refused to allow him to even cross their airspace to travel.

The USA has revoked Edward Snowdens passport, however any state could issue Edward Snowden with a travel document. We are calling on governments around the world to facilitate his travel and process any asylum application he should file, said Sherif Elsayed-Ali.

Read the original here:
Russia: Whistleblower Edward Snowden trapped without legal protection

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden is awaiting an extension on his asylum status in Russia, which expired at midnight on Thursday, but will stay on in the country while the authorities review his appeal.

His whereabouts in the country are not known but his lawyers say that he would prefer staying in Russia for some more time, as it is the safest place for him. Snowden was stranded in Russia last year after his passport was revoked by the U.S. while he was in a transit zone in a Moscow airport. According to Russian rules, an asylum plea has to be renewed every year and Snowden's plea comes at a time when the U.S. and Russia are facing the worst period in bilateral relations since the Cold War over the latter's involvement in Ukraine.

If he had not gone to Hong Kong and just held a press conference, he would have been arrested and I think he would have been placed in solitary confinement and no one would have heard anything from him about who he is, why he decided to make the disclosures that he did, what he was trying to achieve, Jesselyn Radack, one of Snowdens lawyers, said in an interview to ABC Radio on Wednesday.

According to Anatoly Kucherena, Snowden, who had earlierclaimedthat he was trained as a spy, is learning Russian and is working in the country to fulfill some of the requirements of renewing his asylum status, Bloombergreported, adding that his plea is most likely to beaccepted.

Although U.S. officials have repeatedly urged Snowden to return home to face charges of espionage for disclosing the secret workings of the NSA and other American intelligence agencies, Snowdens lawyers maintain that going back to the U.S. could be dangerous for him and have advised him to stay in Russia.

He didn't voluntarily go to Moscow. The US is the reason that he is in Moscow. He was ticketed to fly to Latin America and had to go through the transit zone in Moscow during a layover and at that point the US revoked his passport, effectively stranding him there, Radack said,accordingto ABC Radio, adding: For now he is in the safest place that he can be and Russia has indicated that it intends to plan on having him, allowing him to continue to stay.

Read more here:
Snowden's Russia Asylum Has Expired But He Will Stay Put Until Authorities Approve Reapplication

NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden is too young to spend his life dodging extradition in remote foreign locales, Germany's justice minister said Tuesday in advising the fugitive to return to the United States and face the charges against him.

Snowden's grant of political asylum in Russia expires Thursday, and although Moscow authorities may approve the extension he requested this month, the 31-year-old "surely doesn't want to spend the rest of his life being hunted," Justice Minister Heiko Maas said in an interview with the DPA news agency [link in German].

Snowden, who is wanted on U.S. espionage and theft charges, has been living in obscurity in Russia since being granted a one-year term of temporary asylum on Aug. 1, 2013. The former National Security Agency contractor absconded with millions of classified documents on his laptops when he fled his job in Hawaii last year.

The data analyst first turned up in Hong Kong, where he revealed what he considered excessive intrusion on private communications in the NSA's counter-terrorism surveillance. He then flew to Moscow with the intent to travel on to Latin America and claim political asylum, but was thwarted when the U.S. government canceled his passport during the flight from Hong Kong.

Snowden was holed up at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport for more than a month last summer before Russian President Vladimir Putin granted him asylum on condition he not use his Russian refuge to further expose U.S. intelligence secrets.

German opposition politicians have been campaigning for months to bring Snowden from Russia to Berlin to testify before a parliamentary committee investigating U.S. surveillance practices involving Germans' private communications.

The governing coalition headed by Chancellor Angela Merkel has rejected the notion of Snowden going to Berlin to testify, citing concern that Germany would be obliged to honor a U.S. extradition request. And granting political asylum to the fugitive wanted by Washington on felony charges could damage relations between the Western allies.

Snowden is regarded in many left-wing and libertarian circles as a hero for exposing the breadth of NSA intrusion on private communications around the world, including reports of wiretaps on the private phones of Merkel and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

"It's a disgrace for the Western democracies for Germany but also for the U.S. that someone like Snowden needs to be taken in by a despotic ruler like Vladimir Putin, because he can't get refuge in Germany or in the U.S.," Greens Party lawmakerKonstantin von Notz told Deutsche Welle on Tuesday.

Snowden has expressed interest in appearing before the German NSA inquiry committee, of which Von Notz is a member. But he has refused to testify by remote video linkup, insisting that he needs to provide his evidence of excessive U.S. surveillance in person.

Read the original here:
Snowden should cut deal and return to U.S., German ...

MOSCOW - Fugitive US intelligence agent Edward Snowden marks on Thursday one year of political asylum in Russia, where he continues to live a life shrouded in mystery amid a dearth of public appearances.

Little has been heard on the movements of the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor since he first obtained provisional leave to remain in Russia after spending - according to the official version - a month in the transit area of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.

What is known about the reclusive Snowden is the city in which he lives, that he is working and in which sector he has found a job.

The last picture of Snowden published in Russian media dates from December 2013. In it, the former agent sports a red t-shirt and beige cap, apparently on a boat in the middle of the Moskva river.

The popular website LifeNews also published an image of Snowden pushing a supermarket trolley while out shopping, which his lawyer, Anatoli Kucherena, confirmed to be genuine.

In April, Snowden made a shock appearance on an annual question and answer session with President Vladimir Putin, probing the Kremlin strongman on the surveillance of Russia's population.

"I would like to ask you: Does Russia intercept, store or analyse, in any way, the communications of millions of individuals?" he asked in a recorded message, appearing against a black background wearing a dark jacket and grey t-shirt.

Fear for his life

Accused by Washington of espionage and stealing state documents, Snowden travelled to Moscow via Hong Kong after revealing the true extent of global US electronic surveillance. He had intended to travel to South America.

The former NSA employee, who has had his passport withdrawn by US authorities, stayed in Russia after being granted asylum.

Read more here:
Snowden a recluse one year on from Russia asylum

File photo of Edward Snowden

Little has been heard on the movements of the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor since he first obtained provisional leave to remain in Russia after spending -- according to the official version -- a month in the transit area of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.

What is known about the reclusive Snowden is the city in which he lives, that he is working and in which sector he has found a job.

The last picture of Snowden published in Russian media dates from December 2013. In it, the former agent sports a red t-shirt and beige cap, apparently on a boat in the middle of the Moskva river.

The popular website LifeNews also published an image of Snowden pushing a supermarket trolley while out shopping, which his lawyer, Anatoli Kucherena, confirmed to be genuine.

In April, Snowden made a shock appearance on an annual question and answer session with President Vladimir Putin, probing the Kremlin strongman on the surveillance of Russia's population.

"I would like to ask you: Does Russia intercept, store or analyse, in any way, the communications of millions of individuals?" he asked in a recorded message, appearing against a black background wearing a dark jacket and grey t-shirt.

- Fear for his life - Accused by Washington of espionage and stealing state documents, Snowden travelled to Moscow via Hong Kong after revealing the true extent of global US electronic surveillance. He had intended to travel to South America.

The former NSA employee, who has had his passport withdrawn by US authorities, stayed in Russia after being granted asylum.

Snowden's lawyer Kucherena said on Tuesday that the fugitive still feared for his life.

Continue reading here:
Edward Snowden a Recluse One Year on from Russia Asylum

In an interview with the dpa news agency, German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said that Edward Snowden's best bet at life after the National Security Agency (NSA) revelations was to go back to the US and face trial: "He is only in his early thirties and would definitely not want to spend the rest of his life being chased around the world or applying for one asylum after another."

Maas said that Snowden's lawyers were talking to American officials and looking into the possibility of Snowden returning to the US. "If both sides agree, it would serve Snowden's purpose," he said.

A 'disgrace'

However, various German opposition politicians have criticized Maas's statements. Konstantin von Notz, a Greens parliamentarian and member of the German NSA inquiry committee, said that the German government was "behaving very cynically."

Von Notz finds Germany's stance unaccceptable

"It's a disgrace for the western democracies - for Germany but also for the US - that someone like Snowden needs to be taken in by a despotic ruler like Vladimir Putin, because he can't get refuge in Germany or in the US," explained Von Notz.

For months now, the German opposition has been proposing that Snowden be questioned by Germany's NSA inquiry committee in order to shed light on the scale of US intelligence spying in Germany. Von Notz said that Maas should arrange for Snowden to face the committee but "unfortunately he isn't doing that."

No asylum in Germany

Snowden previously expressed his interest in coming to Germany, but the US has sent a formal "arrest request" to the German government, which has complicated matters. It is unclear whether the German authorities would arrest him or deport him to the US once he landed in Berlin.

"We have asked the US government some questions regarding this, but we haven't got any answers," said Maas. "We are being cautious and want to know exactly how Snowden would be treated if he appears for a trial in the USA."

Read more:
Opposition slams minister's Snowden comments

NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden is too young to spend his life dodging extradition in remote foreign locales, Germany's justice minister said Tuesday in advising the fugitive to return to the United States and face the charges against him.

Snowden's grant of political asylum in Russia expires Thursday, and although Moscow authorities may approve the extension he requested this month, the 31-year-old "surely doesn't want to spend the rest of his life being hunted," Justice Minister Heiko Maas said in an interview with the DPA news agency [link in German].

Snowden, who is wanted on U.S. espionage and theft charges, has been living in obscurity in Russia since being granted a one-year term of temporary asylum on Aug. 1, 2013. The former National Security Agency contractor absconded with millions of classified documents on his laptops when he fled his job in Hawaii last year.

The data analyst first turned up in Hong Kong, where he revealed what he considered excessive intrusion on private communications in the NSA's counter-terrorism surveillance. He then flew to Moscow with the intent to travel on to Latin America and claim political asylum, but was thwarted when the U.S. government canceled his passport during the flight from Hong Kong.

Snowden was holed up at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport for more than a month last summer before Russian President Vladimir Putin granted him asylum on condition he not use his Russian refuge to further expose U.S. intelligence secrets.

German opposition politicians have been campaigning for months to bring Snowden from Russia to Berlin to testify before a parliamentary committee investigating U.S. surveillance practices involving Germans' private communications.

The governing coalition headed by Chancellor Angela Merkel has rejected the notion of Snowden going to Berlin to testify, citing concern that Germany would be obliged to honor a U.S. extradition request. And granting political asylum to the fugitive wanted by Washington on felony charges could damage relations between the Western allies.

Snowden is regarded in many left-wing and libertarian circles as a hero for exposing the breadth of NSA intrusion on private communications around the world, including reports of wiretaps on the private phones of Merkel and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

"It's a disgrace for the Western democracies for Germany but also for the U.S. that someone like Snowden needs to be taken in by a despotic ruler like Vladimir Putin, because he can't get refuge in Germany or in the U.S.," Greens Party lawmakerKonstantin von Notz told Deutsche Welle on Tuesday.

Snowden has expressed interest in appearing before the German NSA inquiry committee, of which Von Notz is a member. But he has refused to testify by remote video linkup, insisting that he needs to provide his evidence of excessive U.S. surveillance in person.

Read more:
Snowden should cut deal and return to U.S., German minister says

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Photo: Getty

Los Angeles Times: NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden is too young to spend his life dodging extradition in remote foreign locales, Germany's justice minister said on Tuesday in advising the fugitive to return to the United States and face the charges against him.

Mr Snowden's grant of political asylum in Russia expires on Thursday, and although Moscow authorities may approve the extension he requested this month, the 31-year-old "surely doesn't want to spend the rest of his life being hunted," Justice Minister Heiko Maas said in an interview with the news agency dpa.

Mr Snowden, who is wanted on US espionage and theft charges, has been living in obscurity in Russia since being granted a one-year term of temporary asylum on August 1, 2013. The former National Security Agency contractor absconded with millions of classified documents on his laptops when he fled his job in Hawaii last year.

German justice minister Heiko Maas believes ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden should cut a deal with the US government and return to US. Photo: AP

The data analyst first turned up in Hong Kong, where he revealed what he considered excessive intrusion on private communications in the NSA's counterterrorism surveillance. He then flew to Moscow with the intent to travel on to Latin America and claim political asylum, but was thwarted when the US government canceled his passport during the flight from Hong Kong.

Advertisement

Mr Snowden was holed up at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport for more than a month last summer before Russian President Vladimir Putin granted him asylum on condition he not use his Russian refuge to further expose US intelligence secrets.

German opposition politicians have been campaigning for months to bring Mr Snowden from Russia to Berlin to testify before a parliamentary committee investigating US surveillance practices involving Germans' private communications.

The governing coalition headed by Chancellor Angela Merkel has rejected the notion of Mr Snowden going to Berlin to testify, citing concern that Germany would be obliged to honour a US extradition request. And granting political asylum to the fugitive wanted by Washington on felony charges could damage relations between the Western allies.

Read the rest here:
Edward Snowden should cut deal and go home to US, German minister says

In an interview with the dpa news agency, German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said that Edward Snowden's best bet at life after the National Security Agency (NSA) revelations was to go back to the US and face trial: "He is only in his early thirties and would definitely not want to spend the rest of his life being chased around the world or applying for one asylum after another."

Maas said that Snowden's lawyers were talking to American officials and looking into the possibility of Snowden returning to the US. "If both sides agree, it would serve Snowden's purpose," he said.

A 'disgrace'

However, various German opposition politicians have criticized Maas's statements. Konstantin von Notz, a Greens parliamentarian and member of the German NSA inquiry committee, said that the German government was "behaving very cynically."

Von Notz finds Germany's stance unaccceptable

"It's a disgrace for the western democracies - for Germany but also for the US - that someone like Snowden needs to be taken in by a despotic ruler like Vladimir Putin, because he can't get refuge in Germany or in the US," explained Von Notz.

For months now, the German opposition has been proposing that Snowden be questioned by Germany's NSA inquiry committee in order to shed light on the scale of US intelligence spying in Germany. Von Notz said that Maas should arrange for Snowden to face the committee but "unfortunately he isn't doing that."

No asylum in Germany

Snowden previously expressed his interest in coming to Germany, but the US has sent a formal "arrest request" to the German government, which has complicated matters. It is unclear whether the German authorities would arrest him or deport him to the US once he landed in Berlin.

"We have asked the US government some questions regarding this, but we haven't got any answers," said Maas. "We are being cautious and want to know exactly how Snowden would be treated if he appears for a trial in the USA."

Read this article:
German opposition slams Maas' Snowden comments