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I don't think that's how it was working out. The US had started extradition proceedings and had told Hong Kong to arrest him. Hong Kong was required to do it ba
by guelo 13y ago
I don't think that's how it was working out. The US had started extradition proceedings and had told Hong Kong to arrest him. Hong Kong was required to do it based on the treaties with the US. They ended up giving Snowden a small window to leave by using a technical excuse but that wasn't going to last. If he had stayed in Hong Kong he'd be in jail for months and then be extradited to the US.
- DennisP 13y agoHong Kong would have arrested him, but actually extraditing him would have been a process stretching out years. Releasing classified information is not an extraditable offense under the treaty, so the U.S. would have had to drum up some other charge. Snowden could have gone through several levels of appeals, each of which could have resulted in the whole thing being declared political by the courts and Snowden going free. It could be though that the HK government preferred not to be in the middle of all this, and convinced him to leave.