U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden has been granted asylum in Russia and
left the transit zone of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport for an
undisclosed “safe location”soon after his Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena handed him temporary asylum papers on Tuesday July 30,2013
Note
- Edward Snowden (30), a former CIA employee and NSA contractor had been stuck at Sheremetyevo Airport since June 23, when he arrived in Moscow from Hong Kong. However, he could not continue his journey as U.S. authorities revoked his passport.
- The U.S. has asked Russia to send Edward Snowden back home for trial on charges for espionage, but has not sent a formal extradition request. President Vladimir Putin has refused to hand him over
- The asylum status allows Edward Snowden to live and work in Russia for one year and can be extended indefinitely on a yearly basis
- The asylum status will protect Edward Snowden from extradition
Expressing “extreme disappointment” on Russia’s
decision to give temporary asylum to Edward Snowden, the U.S. has said
that it is evaluating its ties with the country now.
“We
are extremely disappointed that the Russian government would take this
step despite our very clear and lawful requests in public and in private
to have Snowden expelled to the U.S. to face the charges against him,”
said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.
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