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Rights Activists Say Fugitive Snowden Wants To Stay In Russia

July 12, 2013

by RFE/RL

Russian rights activists and lawyers who met with Edward Snowden at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport say the former U.S. intelligence contractor is asking Russia to grant him political asylum.

The meeting took place on July 12 in the airport's transit area, where the fugitive whistleblower has been stranded since flying from Hong Kong on June 23.

It was the first time Snowden, who is wanted by Washington on espionage charges for leaking details of top-secret U.S. surveillance programs, was seen in public since his arrival in Moscow.

Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, a member of the Russian Public Chamber and one of the people who met with Snowden, told reporters that he would provide legal support to the fugitive.

Kucherena explained that, in order for Snowden to proceed with his asylum request, he should "write an application under Russian law."

"[Snowden] said he had such a desire, and he wrote such an application requesting political asylum in our country," Kucherena added.

Snowden reportedly made an earlier application for Russian asylum, but Russian officials say he withdrew it after President Vladimir Putin said asylum would be conditional on his halting the leaking of U.S. secrets.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin had not yet received Snowden's asylum request but he added that the conditions Putin insisted upon – i.e. that Snowden "fully stops activities causing damage to our American partners" – must be met.

Kucherena indicated that Snowden was willing to abide by those conditions.

"[Snowden] confirmed to us today that he was prepared to honor Vladimir Putin's request and discontinue his activity -- let's say subversive activity -- with regard to the U.S. government," he said.

Russian media has reported that Snowden is still considering moving from Russia to another country in the future.

The head of Amnesty International’s office in Moscow, Sergei Nikitin, said Snowden had not ruled out traveling on to a "Latin American country."

This far, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Nicaragua have offered him asylum.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, Interfax, and ITAR-TASS

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/snowden-russia-activists-stay/25044577.html

Copyright (c) 2013. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.