Edward Snowden granted temporary Assylum in Russia

Well it's finally done folks. Edward Snowden, the renowned NSA leaker has finally been granted asylum in Russia. Check out the post below and the link for some additional info.

MOSCOW -- Fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden slipped quietly out of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport this morning after Russia granted him temporary asylum, ending more than a month in limbo in the transit area.

A Russian lawyer who has been assisting Snowden said the American, who is wanted in the United States for leaking details of secret government intelligence programs, had gone to a secure location which would remain secret.

After weeks staying out of sight from hordes of reporters desperate for a glimpse of him, Snowdenmanaged to slip away in a taxi without being spotted. Grainy images of his passport showed he had been granted asylum for a year from July 31.

• RELATED
• Photos: Famous document-leakers
• Timeline: How Snowden evaded prosecution
• File photo of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, an analyst with a U.S. defence contractor, being interviewed by The Guardian in his hotel room in Hong Kong

"He is the most wanted man on planet Earth. What do you think he is going to do? He has to think about his personal security. I cannot tell you where he is going," his lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told Reuters.

"I put him in a taxi 15 to 20 minutes ago and gave him his certificate on getting refugee status in the Russian Federation," he said. "He can live wherever he wants in Russia. It's his personal choice."

He said Snowden was not going to stay at any embassy in Moscow, although three Latin American countries have offered to shelter him. Snowden was well, he added.

Snowden was accompanied by Sarah Harrison, a representative of the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, which confirmed he had left the airport.

"We would like to thank the Russian people and all those others who have helped to protect Mr.Snowden. We have won the battle - now the war," WikiLeaks said on Twitter.

Snowden, 30, arrived in Moscow from Hong Kong on June 23. Nicaragua, Bolivia and Venezuela have offered him refuge but there are no direct commercial flights to Latin America and he was concerned theUnited States would intercept his flight to prevent him reaching his destination.

Snowden's case has caused new strains in relations between Russia and the United States which wants him extradited to face espionage charges.

The White House has signaled that President Barack Obama could consider boycotting a planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in early September.

But a senior Kremlin official said ties between Russia and the United States would not suffer because of what he said was a "relatively insignificant" case.

"Our president has ... expressed hope many times that this will not affect the character of our relations," Yuri Ushakov, Putin's top foreign policy adviser, told reporters.

He said there was no sign that U.S. President Barack Obama would cancel the planned visit in September.

 

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-snowden-leaves-moscow-airport-20130801,0,687692.story

The Latest on the Edward Snowden Saga

The father of the National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden says his son has been so vilified by the Obama administration and members of Congress that he is now better off staying in Russia.

Lon Snowden had been working behind the scenes with lawyers to try to find a way his son could get a fair trial in the US. Edward Snowden has been charged in federal court with violating the Espionage Act by leaking details of NSA surveillance.

But in a telephone interview with the Associated Press, the elder Snowden said he had lost faith in recent weeks that his son would be treated fairly by the justice department. He now thinks his 30-year-old son is better off avoiding the US if possible until an administration that respects the constitution comes into office.

"If it were me, knowing what I know now, and listening to advice of sage people like [Pentagon Papers leaker] Daniel Ellsberg ... I would attempt to find a safe haven," Snowden said.

As a military analyst more than four decades ago, Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers, a secret study of America's involvement in Vietnam, to newspapers.

 

Continue reading the full article from the source here

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/27/nsa-snowden-father-justice-Russia

 

The Latest on Edward Snowden

This latest report from www.guardian.co.uk

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2013/jul/24/edward-snowden-russia-lawyer-video

National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden has not had his asylum status resolved and he intends to remain in Russia long-term, his lawyer has said. Previously, Snowden told local officials he planned to move on to South America as soon as possible.

Anatoly Kucherena, who was visiting Snowden at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on Wednesday, said he was staying in the transit zone "for now". According to the lawyer, migration officials had said that they are looking at his asylum request, but had not issued the expected confirmation certificate that would allow Snowden to leave the airport. The process of issuing it has been drawn out, he said.

"Unfortunately the current situation is a truly unique one for Russia, and we have to account for the bureaucracy [involved in the process], so his documents are still being looked over," Kucherena told the many journalists assembled at the airport.

Law enforcement and airport sources had earlier said Snowden had been issued documents confirming his asylum request was being considered, and state news agency Interfax reported that he had submitted them at the border control. Instead, the lawyer had only brought Snowden books and clothing, he said.

Snowden is seeking to remain in the country and "wants to find work in Russia, travel and somehow create a life for himself," Kucherena told the television station Rossiya 24. He said the whistleblower had already begun learning the Russian language.

Snowden is applying for temporary asylum. Kucherena said a decision must be reached over the request within three months, although he expected the issue to be resolved sooner.

The lawyer said Snowden was "neither happy nor sad" but was eagerly awaiting an answer.

The US has been seeking Snowden's extradition to face felony charges for leaking details of US surveillance programmes. Russia has refused to hand him over, while denying it had anything to do with his travel plans.

Kucherena is a member of the Public Council of the Federal Security Service, the successor to the KGB, which lends fuel to speculations that Snowden's stay is being handled by Russia's intelligence services.

Snowden was stranded in the Moscow airport transit zone, which is technically not Russian territory, on 23 June, after US authorities annulled his passport while he was travelling from Hong Kong. Presidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin reportedly discussed the issue during a phone call in mid-July. Snowden's stay in Russia has strained relations between the two countries, with Obama reportedly reconsidering a visit planned for this autumn.

In a meeting with government and human rights officials on 12 July,Snowden announced he would seek temporary asylum in Russia while hoping to eventually travel on to South America, where Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela have said they would offer him asylum. The US has prevented him from flying there, Snowden said, apparently referring to the possibility that any flight carrying him would be forced to land by the US or its allies.

Kucherena said he bought Snowden pizza and gave him new clothes and books to get acquainted with the Russian mentality and "our reality of life". Specifically, he gave the American a Fyodor Dostoevsky classic, as well as works by Anton Chekhov "for dessert".

"I bought him Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment because I think that he needs to read about Raskolnikov killing the old woman pawnbroker," Kucherena said. "I don't want to say that [Raskolnikov's] inner conflicts are similar, but nonetheless this world classic will be interesting for him."

News of the books provoked ribaldry on Twitter among those following the events, with jokes that Snowden won't be allowed to leave the airport until he finishes reading them.

Snowden is also learning Russian and told Kucherena "hi," "bye-bye" and "I'll call you" in Russian during their meeting, the lawyer told Rossiya 24.

Former immigration service head Vladimir Volokh said on Tuesday it was likely Snowden would not be allowed to move freely about the country while his asylum request was approved due to concerns for his safety.

"Legally he won't be forbidden [to move about], but the main question here is guaranteeing his safety," Volokh told radio station Kommersant FM.

Welcome!

Hi all, welcome to Breaking News Now! We will be providing up to date news on a wide variety of topics across the world from the latest in the Edward Snowden saga to the most recent news surrounding Prince George Alexander Louis. So come on and stop by often to get regular updates on what's going on around the world.

Cheers!