Russian lawmaker hints to plans of extending Snowdens temporary asylum

Russia News.Net
Saturday 25th January, 2014

A Russian lawmaker has reportedly hinted to the plans of extending NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden’s asylum term, who fled the US and sought refuge in the country after revealing classified data about NSA’s mass surveillance operations.

At the World Economic Forum, the lawmaker, Aleksei K. Pushkov, chairman of the foreign affairs committee in Russia’s lower house of Parliament, hinted to a possible extension of Snowden’s temporary refugee status.

According to the New York Times, Pushkov said that Snowden will not be sent out of Russia and it will be up to him to choose otherwise.

He further said that Snowden’s father, Lon Snowden, believes that his couldn’t get a fair trial in the US, a belief shared by Edward himself, who said that under the current laws it is not possible for him to have a just trial.

Pushkov further pointed to the sheer volume of information that American authorities are able to gather and said that the US has created a Big Brother system, which is in violation of human right to privacy

30-year-old Snowden has been charged with espionage by the US for leaking the classified data and as his temporary asylum in Russia draws to a close, speculations have arose about what his next course of action could be, as the option of going back to the US and stand an unfair trail has been rejected by him and no country has yet formally announced any asylum offer. (ANI)

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