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Snowden asylum still under review, stays in airport for now

413 points| message | 12 years ago |rt.com | reply

221 comments

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[+] scrrr|12 years ago|reply
I wish him all the best. He's done many countries a great service. He inspired the search for truth and he made us realise that our politicians (and technology providers) are a bunch of disgusting LIARS.

I hope that he will be able to have a good life in Russia, in peace and security. And that his deed will inspire future whistleblowers.

[+] mikemoka|12 years ago|reply
Granting asylum to Snowden will just influence relations between US and Russia,and is not done to be coherent with previous standings of the country on the topic of human rights,almost always different.

We have to be careful not to associate concepts like "freedom of speech" and "example of democracy" with countries like Russia, given the actual situation the people there live under I am not sure we can say Russia holds human rights in the highest regard in my opinion.

[+] pjmlp|12 years ago|reply
> ... our politicians (and technology providers) are a bunch of disgusting LIARS.

I never thought otherwise.

[+] pvnick|12 years ago|reply
It seems he accepted Putin's terms to not release anymore information. I wonder if that means no more information coming out, period, or that since most/all of the information is now with third parties that it's their responsibility. I doubt Putin likes being disrespected with loopholes and technicalities, but I more-so doubt that Snowden would halt the revelations altogether for the sake of his own safety. I suspect this was discussed and that Russian officials agreed to the continued release of what is no longer under Snowden's control.

Does anybody have any more information on that?

[+] rantanplan|12 years ago|reply
I think that Putin simply cares about appearing cooperative with his American "friends", so as to avoid any repercussions. Also there is definitely some play on words here, since we know that Snowden cannot have any control about the information he has already given to various individuals. So yes, he probably won't release any more info personally.
[+] ra|12 years ago|reply
Now the headline has changed to: "Snowden asylum still under review, stays in airport for now - lawyer"

... so it seems RT popped their cork too early. Explains why the Guardian didn't cover this yet.

[+] hobbes|12 years ago|reply
It's quite possible Snowden has already passed on all his information to other parties. There's no need for Snowden to be the messenger any more.
[+] rfctr|12 years ago|reply
Snowden will halt the revelations abruptly. He would be a fool to break the agreement with Putin.

Putin is a man of his word, and expects the same from Snowden.

Information may continue to leak, but not from Snowden. His part of the show is finished (and luckily for him, he's not even bruised!).

[+] chli|12 years ago|reply
Didn't Snowden say that this was only temporary so he could secure a flight to a south american country at some point ?
[+] wdr1|12 years ago|reply
I suspect the arrangement is he ceases to disseminate any new information during his stay in Russia. This avoids any undue tension in the US-Russian relations.

Once he's left Russia, I suspect he'll be able to continue his activities.

[+] popee|12 years ago|reply
You are not material for politician -> good thing :-) But don't be naive, they say lot of gibberish. Only thing that matters is interest.
[+] wavesounds|12 years ago|reply
I think that 'no more information' is just a temporary thing until he gets out of Russia into a country where he has asylum.
[+] tomelders|12 years ago|reply
Well I think this is more to do with Russia thumbing it's nose at the US rather than protecting an individual from tyranny. But fair play to Snowden, it's good news for him. But If I were Snowden, I'd be quietly sneaking out of Russia very soon lest the political winds change and he suddenly finds he's a very valuable pawn in a very dangerous game that he can't win.
[+] junto|12 years ago|reply
At the moment I can't think of a more politically stable country for Snowden to be in. Latin American countries are historically fickle when it comes to flip-flopping between pro and anti US governments. Russia seems to be a good choice. Much better than China anyway.
[+] alan_cx|12 years ago|reply
Probably. But can any one name one trust-able perfect country that would give a Snowden type asylum purely on principle, rather than for political reasons?

I'll be honest, Im struggling to think of one.

[+] clamprecht|12 years ago|reply
My high school history teacher taught us something that politicians know:

"My enemy's enemy is my friend".

I'm sure there's a concise Russian saying for this.

[+] celticninja|12 years ago|reply
to be fair sneaking out of russia is probably not that hard given the huge land borders of the country.
[+] kwal0203|12 years ago|reply
He's already a pawn in a game he can't win. He will have to clear all of his actions with FSB from now on.
[+] jeena|12 years ago|reply
Good for Snowden that he is not homosexual or leaked "Gay propaganda" so he won't end up in jail in russia ... http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/22/opinion/russias-anti-gay-c...
[+] ForrestN|12 years ago|reply
Yeah. If I were Snowden I wouldn't trust this evil government in the least. Hopefully he's still looking for somewhere else to go.
[+] kwal0203|12 years ago|reply
So true. And people are going around singing Russia's praises on human rights now they are considering his asylum. It's so wrong.
[+] jitbit|12 years ago|reply
I'm Russian. This is done only to annoy the US. Russian gov-t has nothing to do with freedom of speech etc. It's just to tease the White House.
[+] andreypopp|12 years ago|reply
How the fact that you are Russian makes you know why it was done?
[+] anuraj|12 years ago|reply
Snowden has completed his historic duty - now he can fade into the annals of history as a man who stood for something.
[+] Justsignedup|12 years ago|reply
in a backwards twist of fate... Russia is protecting people from the United states for freedom of speech.
[+] twentyfourseven|12 years ago|reply
This news made my day. The safety of Snowden has been on my mind for weeks. Hopefully he'll make it all the way to sunny Bolivia.
[+] pjmlp|12 years ago|reply
It won't matter, now he will have to keep watching his back every second.
[+] jaydz|12 years ago|reply
I actually hope he stays put in Russia. These Latin American countries would be an easy target for the American govt to bully.
[+] brianbreslin|12 years ago|reply
So a few questions here: 1. Will he get KGB (or whatever the current equivalent is in Russia) protection? 2. Is this allowing him to leave just being done to make it easier for the US spooks to snatch him up? 3. Where does he go next? And how does he get there?
[+] kwal0203|12 years ago|reply
I don't think He'll be getting any FSB (new KGB) protection. They most likely control him now.
[+] ramanan|12 years ago|reply
The situation is still evolving. The article has been updated since the initial HN posting and the title now reads 'Snowden asylum still under review, stays in airport for now - lawyer'.
[+] gexla|12 years ago|reply
I wonder how much pay he would get as a sys admin in Russia. He might want to leave that bit about stealing secrets from his employer's client and leaking them to the world off his resume.
[+] canadiancreed|12 years ago|reply
Guess relations between Russia and the US aren't as important after all.

Always found it odd (possibly ironic?) that he left to countries infamous for not being well known for their love of free speech. Then again as one poster here put it, where else would he go that isn't as restrictive and doesn't have an extradition treaty with the U.S.?

Wonder if this will inspire whistle blowers in Russia now?

[+] belorn|12 years ago|reply
The irony is that Russians seeking asylum in the US has been a stereotypic event, to the point where it was made into a musical called Chess.

> Wonder if this will inspire whistle blowers in Russia now?

And what kind of secrets, unknown to the Russian public are you thinking about? Whistleblowing is about informing the citizen about secret actions made by the state (or rich company) that shows corruption or lies. If the action is not secret, then there is nothing to blow about. If the state do not deny spying or corruption, then what can the whistleblower say? "Oooo, look! What the government says is correct, and they are indeed doing what they say they are" aren't exactly whistleblowing. News maybe, but not whistleblowing. The government have to first claim to be the land of the free before someone can contradict them on it.

[+] Drakim|12 years ago|reply
Snowden is just a guy, he doesn't need to be some flawless saint to point out that the US government is lying and spying on it's citizens.
[+] osmsiberiano|12 years ago|reply
There is a famous whistleblower now running in the elections for Moscow mayor office. And there are a lot of such people, although they haven't dug as deeply as Snowden.

Unfortunately, the story here in the media has boiled down to international spying scandal, the original statement - that it violates some US constitution amendment - has been forgotten.

[+] wellboy|12 years ago|reply
Does that mean he accepted the demands of Russia of not being able to disclose any further information anymore?
[+] brown9-2|12 years ago|reply
This presumes that the Russian government actually cares about that supposed demand.
[+] ck2|12 years ago|reply
Fortunate for him he is not gay (as far as we know) as that's illegal in Russia and would prevent entry?

In any case I hope he stays safe and I thank him for his sacrifice.

[+] danabramov|12 years ago|reply
Being gay isn't illegal in Russia, “gay propaganda” is. This doesn't make the law less absurd.
[+] ryguytilidie|12 years ago|reply
I'm curious how Snowden has been living in this airport. Is he literally sleeping in the terminal or is there an airport hotel he is staying in?
[+] TheLegace|12 years ago|reply
Last I read he's staying in a fairly decent hotel. Not sure how he's paying for it(maybe donations, maybe he saved his money).