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Edward Snowden Files For Political Asylum In Russia

Posted by Unknown on from the silly-rabbit-human-rights-are-for-Party-members dept.

vikingpower writes "The official Russian Press agency Interfax has the scoop: Edward Snowden asks for political asylum in Russia (Google Translate). Russia Today, however, denies the news. Is this part of a clever disinformation move by Snowden, who reportedly is still in the Moscow airport Sheremetyevo 2?" The Washington Post is also reporting Snowden did apply for asylum in Russia. Snowden released a statement last night through Wikileaks, quoting: "For decades the United States of America has been one of the strongest defenders of the human right to seek asylum. Sadly, this right, laid out and voted for by the U.S. in Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is now being rejected by the current government of my country. The Obama administration has now adopted the strategy of using citizenship as a weapon. Although I am convicted of nothing, it has unilaterally revoked my passport, leaving me a stateless person. Without any judicial order, the administration now seeks to stop me exercising a basic right. A right that belongs to everybody. The right to seek asylum."

30 of 447 comments (clear)

  1. We have met the enemy by rockout · · Score: 5, Insightful

    and he is us.

    --
    I've learned that they're worthless, so I don't read AC comments anymore.
    1. Re:We have met the enemy by rockout · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Sure. I was born in an Eastern-bloc country (not Russia) and my dad took my mom and I out of there before I was 2. All I heard growing up was how America was the land of the free, and the evil Russians were holding down my cousins back in the homeland, and all of that was true. They were the enemy. They were opening the mail going back and forth between us and our relatives (literally - you could see it when the letters arrived, at both ends) and they were keeping more of them from leaving and joining us in the US, although some more did make it over.

      Now we're the ones opening the mail of our own citizens. So what if it's electronic? Then you have one guy who made public a lot of the details of how the US government is spying on its own citizens, (and I'm glad he did it although I feel sorry for him because he's getting fucked) and he's being punished by the current gov't bringing the full weight of diplomatic pressure to make sure he can't get anywhere, even as they lie through their teeth and claim there's nothing special about his case and no backdoor dealing is being done to get "some hacker."

      For me, it doesn't get any more backwards from what I grew up with.

      --
      I've learned that they're worthless, so I don't read AC comments anymore.
    2. Re:We have met the enemy by Somebody+Is+Using+My · · Score: 5, Informative

      Don't worry, I nice room at the ADX supermax awaits. The next 50 years of your existence: 23 hours a day locked up, in a poured concrete cell, sleeping on a poured concrete bed, pissing in a poured concrete toilet, with a 4 inch wide window that you can only see the sky out of.
          hope it was worth it..

      If life imprisonment is ultimately Snowden's fate, then it's up to /us/ to make sure his sacrifice is "worth it" by holding the criminals
      that his disclosures forced into the light accountable for their crimes. We need to get the politicians, cops, bureaucrats and any others who supported these blatantly un-Constitutional activities out of their positions of power and replaced by people who actually follow the laws and ideals of this country.

      So, given Snowden is likely to have sacrificed his freedom for us, I too hope it was worth it. We have an opportunity to squish the roaches underfoot before they scuttle out of the light. Let's make the best of it.

    3. Re:We have met the enemy by RoknrolZombie · · Score: 4, Insightful

      In a Nation of apathetic (or just pathetic) slackers, good luck with that. Don't get me wrong - I agree with you that the end result of Snowdens release(s) is ultimately what the public decides...but remember: We are the fattest, laziest, and dumbest people on the planet. Do you know why more people don't stand up to the Government? It's because the public doesn't give two shits about what the Government does as long as the Simpsons stay on the air. They aren't even aware enough to realize that the television shows are managed by a completely different department.

    4. Re:We have met the enemy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Over here in ex-Soviet Estonia, your government cannot revoke your travel documents unless you've suddenly become certifiably dead, or the information therein has suddenly become false. Neither of which is to be excluded without consideration, but a passport can't be revoked because you've become fugitive.

    5. Re:We have met the enemy by Creepy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No, he was worried because the semi-autonomous island Hong Kong has an extradition policy with the US. Russia was meant to be an intermediary location to get to South America, probably through Cuba because you can get a direct flight. There are few direct flights to South America from Asia and most of those go to US friendly countries.

      Incidentally, he probably was safe in Hong Kong due to the US's blunder of charging him with espionage (thus making it a political crime). If they'd simply charged him with theft, got him extradited, and then dumped death penalty espionage charges he'd be at the end of a noose already, right where Obama and co want him so they can keep their super secret illegal spy ring going. If you don't think this is all about keeping the NSA spying going and sweeping Snowden's body under the rug, remember that Cheney and Armitage did the exact same thing exposing Plume and there certainly weren't any espionage charges filed for that.

  2. I don't think I agree with this statement... by Pollux · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It has unilaterally revoked my passport, leaving me a stateless person.

    Not quite. He is still a citizen of the United States and can contact the US Embassy for assistance to leave the country, though it would mean his surrender to the United States. If he publicly made that intent known, officials from the US Embassy in Russia could travel to the airport, use diplomatic powers to pass into where Snowden rests, issue him temporary travel documents to escort him out of the airport and to the embassy, and arrange for travel home.

    He's not stateless, but I'm sure he likes to think of himself that way.

    1. Re:I don't think I agree with this statement... by Spottywot · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It has unilaterally revoked my passport, leaving me a stateless person.

      Not quite. He is still a citizen of the United States and can contact the US Embassy for assistance to leave the country, though it would mean his surrender to the United States. If he publicly made that intent known, officials from the US Embassy in Russia could travel to the airport, use diplomatic powers to pass into where Snowden rests, issue him temporary travel documents to escort him out of the airport and to the embassy, and arrange for travel home.

      He's not stateless, but I'm sure he likes to think of himself that way.

      The point of him seeking asylum is that he does not want to surrender to the US authorities, that was the whole point in him fleeing in the first place, but I'm sure you're aware of that. What he should have said to avoid needless pedantry is 'The US government have taken away the one advantage of US citizenship that is of any use to me right now, the ability to travel to somewhere that I won' t be incarcerated and demonised for the rest of my life'.

      --
      In a cybernetic fit of rage she pissed off to another age...
    2. Re:I don't think I agree with this statement... by F.Ultra · · Score: 4, Interesting

      So with your advanced logic you prefer Gitmo over Russia. Interesting.

  3. Snowden has withdrawn that request? by Whiney+Mac+Fanboy · · Score: 5, Informative

    According to the age, Snowden has withdrawn that request. Mr Snowden withdrew his Russian asylum request because of a demand that he stop harming US interests by leaking documents

    --
    There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
  4. Yesterday's news for nerds by mrsam · · Score: 5, Informative

    "Edward Snowden Files For Political Asylum In Russia"

    That was yesterday's news, sorry. Today's news, is that he's not.

    1. Re:Yesterday's news for nerds by arcite · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yesterday is good. I prefer my news carefully aged over a week, scarce of facts and stuffed with partisan punditry.

  5. Americans will never defend their constitution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Americans will never defend their constitution, that has been proven for decades of abuses.

    Land of the fat and LAZY.

    The dream died years ago, I still have no idea why people still believe it is still a dream country.

  6. Getting desperate? by ark1 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Apparently he withdrew his asylum request after Putin asked him to stop leaking more secrets. Funny he would consider it in the first place knowing that Russians are likely much worst when it comes to surveillance of their own citizens. Can't see many nations wanting him at this time.

    1. Re:Getting desperate? by Cenan · · Score: 5, Insightful

      To deem him not a whistleblower seems like a rather harsh interpretation of the term. He is exposing, what he believes to be, unlawful practises, that seems to me to be exactly what a whistleblower does.

      Many on /. seem to be overlooking that the ball is still rolling on this, the US government is not just collecting data on american citizens, but actively carrying out espionage missions against allies. Nobody around here (Europe) gives two flying fucks about Snowden or his fate, nor the laws NSA allegedly follows. The media here is much more concerned with the bugging of EU offices. The pictures most prominent on TVs across Europe is Obama trying to explain that little turd, all the while coming off as a complete idiot trying to explain 1+1 to a 4 year old, it really is not very pretty. And in case you havn't been paying attention the last couple of decades, what the media cares about, John Doe general public cares about.

      The statement, that the ire of the world would turn to Russia if they granted Asylum to Snowden, smells very much like a "everybody probably thinks like me" fallacy, it's a projection based on the assumption that the rest of the world are americans.

      --
      ... whatever ...
  7. NSA is not us by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    NSA is not us. If NSA were us, Clapper wouldn't be lying to Congress.
    FISA ruling wouldn't be hidden from us, especially the 2011 one saying its illegal.
    This wouldn't have been done in secret and they wouldn't have to lie to us.
    Snowden wouldn't have had to leak something that should/needs be public in a democracy anyway.
    FTC and other government agencies wouldn't have to remind Corps there are laws in the land.
    Google Yahoo etc. wouldn't be fighting secret orders in secret kangaroo courts.
    Cheney wouldn't be smirking.

    So no, it's them, no us. A fear-mongering faction in the NSA led by General Alexander that simply decided one day to capture all data and store all data, on everyone, and a lot of traitors to their countries who went along with it. /rant

  8. Norway by beaverdownunder · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/edward-snowden-applies-asylum-in-norway-5484164

  9. Re:A day late, but... by ark1 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Revoking Snowden's passport also violates this from what I can see as by removing his passport they're removing his right to travel and hence to leave Russia.

    Or in other words the US has pretty much now completely thrown the de-facto document on basic levels of standards of human rights entirely out the window.

    Owning a passport/travelling between countries is a privilege not a right. When someone is suspected of a crime and there is a good chance this person may seek to leave the country to evade prosecution, the passport will be revoked. Snowden is not a special snowflake to warrant a different treatment.

  10. Snowden's statement - 1st July 2013 by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://wikileaks.org/Statement-from-Edward-Snowden-in.html?snow

    Monday July 1, 21:40 UTC
    One week ago I left Hong Kong after it became clear that my freedom and safety were under threat for revealing the truth. My continued liberty has been owed to the efforts of friends new and old, family, and others who I have never met and probably never will. I trusted them with my life and they returned that trust with a faith in me for which I will always be thankful.

    On Thursday, President Obama declared before the world that he would not permit any diplomatic "wheeling and dealing" over my case. Yet now it is being reported that after promising not to do so, the President ordered his Vice President to pressure the leaders of nations from which I have requested protection to deny my asylum petitions.

    This kind of deception from a world leader is not justice, and neither is the extralegal penalty of exile. These are the old, bad tools of political aggression. Their purpose is to frighten, not me, but those who would come after me.

    For decades the United States of America has been one of the strongest defenders of the human right to seek asylum. Sadly, this right, laid out and voted for by the U.S. in Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is now being rejected by the current government of my country. The Obama administration has now adopted the strategy of using citizenship as a weapon. Although I am convicted of nothing, it has unilaterally revoked my passport, leaving me a stateless person. Without any judicial order, the administration now seeks to stop me exercising a basic right. A right that belongs to everybody. The right to seek asylum.

    In the end the Obama administration is not afraid of whistleblowers like me, Bradley Manning or Thomas Drake. We are stateless, imprisoned, or powerless. No, the Obama administration is afraid of you. It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised Ã" and it should be.

    I am unbowed in my convictions and impressed at the efforts taken by so many.

    Edward Joseph Snowden Monday 1st July 2013

    --
    Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
  11. Snowden has retracted his asylum application by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 5, Informative

    Snowden has retracted his asylum application to Russia, on the ground that he does not want to jeopardize the state-to-state relationship between Russia and the USA

    --
    Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
  12. You may not want to admit it ... by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... but NSA does represent the Americans !!

    Whether you like it or not, if you are an American (which I am), NSA is part and parcel of the American government - and whatever NSA is doing (and whatever the Obama administration is doing right now) does represent ALL THE AMERICANS

    I mean, look at what is happening in Egypt

    The Egyptians who are tired of the non-performing Egyptian presidents are gathering in HUGE CROWD, demanding that muslim-brotherhood figurehead to step down

    And about America ... ... do you see anything like that happening ?

    Why not ?

    What kind of message the Americans are telling the world ? ... that we, the Americans, are SATISFIED with what the Obama administration is doing ... that we, the Americans, agree with what NSA is doing ... that we, the Americans, do not mind our phones be tapped, do not mind that the big brother has invaded our privacy, do not mind at all, that our liberties are being violated

    By doing nothing, that's THE MESSAGE the Americans are telling the world ... whether you like it, or not

    --
    Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
    1. Re:You may not want to admit it ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      By doing nothing, that's THE MESSAGE the Americans are telling the world ... whether you like it, or not

      And the rest of the world is both laughing their asses off at you, and increasingly realizing that what America says and what America does are two entirely different things.

      All that talk about rights and freedoms is hypocrisy, and as a government they're more interested in forcing other countries to adopt stricter copyright protections than anything else.

      America has lost the right to tell other countries to not spy on their citizens, or pretty much anything -- because they do it themselves. You ignore your own Constitution more every week.

      What the rest of the world is seeing is a steady decline into being xenophobic idiots who like to tell everyone else how to run their countries while steadily allowing their own to fall apart.

    2. Re: You may not want to admit it ... by nickmalthus · · Score: 5, Informative

      See you on the 4th AC

      --
      If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be-T J
    3. Re:You may not want to admit it ... by canadian_right · · Score: 4, Insightful

      ... and polls show that just under 50% of Americans are happy to trade liberty for "safety" while just under %50 are not willing to make this trade.

      So I think the "it is us" statement is true.

      --
      Anarchists never rule
  13. Re:Hypocrite by 1s44c · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So he supposedly "martyred" himself for freedom, and yet has no qualms about living in countries that are much more oppressive than the US. Hypocrite, pure and simple.

    He applied for Asylum in a few countries that are less oppressive than the US too.

    But it's not a hypocritical act to sacrifice yourself so that others may have greater freedom.

  14. Yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    "does represent ALL THE AMERICANS"
    Only 60 members of Congress were briefed and only 3000 people knew about the project in Government. It doesn't represent *all* Americans. It's a deception that's falling apart sustained by secrecy.

    Conspiracies take time to unravel.

    Half a million signatures tell me, that half a million people SO FAR have read the Guardian leaks. That's a good start.
    As the court opens the 2011 FISA ruling that this program is illegal, they'll be 5 million more.
    As the extent of the phone surveillance becomes apparent it will be 50 million.
    As the extent of the trawl of public records comes out, that will be 300 million.

    1. Re:Yet by Salgak1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Considering we ALREADY knew, if we were paying attention. Remember ECHELON, and "Jam ECHELON day" ?? Remember "CARNIVORE" ?? Remember "Total Information Awareness" ?? This just release 4.x (and probably higher, nobody found the earlier and/or intermediate programs. . .) It will NEVER go away. It will change names, contractors involved, and maybe even agencies. But there's nothing so permanent as a Government Surveillance Program. ..

  15. Re:A day late, but... by sangreal66 · · Score: 4, Informative

    There is nothing extreme about it, it is entirely routine:

    The principal law enforcement reasons for the U.S. State Department to deny
    or revoke a passport are the existence of (1) a valid federal or state felony arrest warrant; or (2) a
    criminal court order, condition of parole or condition of probation that forbids departure from the
    United States (See 22 C.F.R. 51.60-51.62)

    http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/smart/pdfs/passport_fact_sheet.pdf

    This pdf is about sex offenders, but that isn't relevant to the regulations they cite (and I'm just demonstrating that it is standard procedure). 22 C.F.R. 51.62 allows them to revoke a passport if the bearer would not be eligible to get a new passport:

    51.62 Revocation or limitation of passports.

    (a) The Department may revoke or limit a passport when

    (1) The bearer of the passport may be denied a passport under 22 CFR 51.60 or 51.61 ; or 51.28 ; or any other provision contained in this part; or,

    22 C.F.R. 51.60 allows for denying a new passport based on outstanding arrest warrants:

    (b) The Department may refuse to issue a passport in any case in which the Department determines or is informed by competent authority that:

    (1) The applicant is the subject of an outstanding Federal warrant of arrest for a felony, including a warrant issued under the Federal Fugitive Felon Act (18 U.S.C. 1073); or

    Put together, they can and do revoke passports based simply on having an outstanding arrest warrant, without a specific court order

  16. Re:Snowden the Drama Queen by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Whether you agree with what Snowden did or not (I for one do not), dude is a serious drama queen. This is somewhat typical of his generation. Everything is just so much more bigger and more important because it happens to them .

    Being from Snowden's generation -- I'm the same age -- I have to say that I for one am personally shocked by the entire NSA spying incident and the subsequent witch-hunt of Snowden himself. Not surprised, but still despite myself, shocked.

    Despite having grown a warty hide of cynicism over the last decade, despite having watched western society fail again and again over the last 10 years, despite having suspected the truth for many years already, the sheer scale and nakedness of the NSA's programs has pierced right down to the soft kernel of hope for the world instilled in me during the 1990s. The brazen outrage of the NSA and US military, the absurdly exaggerated charges against Snowden, and the relentless and petty retaliation by the US government have cast present reality back into a past which I was raised to believe would never reoccur.

    Snowden is a hero. He's a straight up hero. He gave up reward, riches, happiness, and his own future for the sake of his principles and his fellow countrymen. People in the US should build a statue in his honour. Instead, they're howling like fascists for satisfaction.

    If Snowden returns to the United States, I don't think he will get a day in open court. I doubt he will see a military tribunal. After everything that has happened, after just how wrong the world has become, it would not surprise me if Snowden was simply disappeared. It would shock me yes, but not surprise me.

    --
    May the Maths Be with you!
  17. Re:I don't think Snowden quite understands the law by dunkelfalke · · Score: 4, Informative

    I used to be stateless (de jure, with a 1954 convention travel document), and you are quite wrong. I had the right to return to Germany and the same right of entry to a country someone else with a valid visum has.

    --
    "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap