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Snowden asylum still under review, stays in airport for now
- falk 13y agoI wonder why Glenn Greenwald or the Guardian hasn't written anything about this yet?
- acqq 13y agoWhy should he? It was never about the whistleblower but about the Government of U.S. First Bush administration, now Obama administration and the difference between the things they say and the things they do.
- falk 13y agoHe and other writers at the Guardian have written about Snowden on multiple occasions. I haven't seen any other news outlets reporting that Snowden has been cleared or is on the verge of being cleared. Edit: I just found some additional sources. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/24/us-russia-snowden-idUSBRE96N0KH20130724 http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/24/us-russia-snowden-... http://www.businessinsider.com/report-edward-snowden-is-now-free-to-leave-the-airport-and-enter-russia-2013-7 http://www.businessinsider.com/report-edward-snowden-is-now-...
- JosephRedfern 13y agoThey have now. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/24/edward-snowden-moscow-airport-spy http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/24/edward-snowden-m...
- acqq 13y agoQuoting Reuters. As far as I understand, Greenwald wouldn't make an aricle that would just involve tracking Snowden's steps like it would of some celebrity. It's exactly the distraction of talking about the messenger instead of the message.
- tomelders 13y agoWell 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.
- kwal0203 13y agoHe'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.
- clicks 13y agoThat's an over-simplistic view of things and implies that Snowden is perforce the lesser fool. I think it's rather more the reality that Snowden has been quite wise in his planning: he is aware that he is putting Russia in a position where Russia will try its darndest to be on its best behavior in sustaining that "asylum-giving, human-rights protecting" image it has recently gotten.
- kwal0203 13y agoYou can't be serious? wise? You think he planned to be in Russia? Russia protecting human rights? OMFG
- clicks 13y agoNo, he probably did not plan on ending up in Russia, but he has been wise in dealing with the situation he was put in with the very limited number of options he had. That he is still alive, well, mentally sound, able to freely speak to journalists (and American politicians) at free will -- and finally now "free" to leave the airport is evidence that he's been wise in making decisions. > Russia protecting human rights? OMFG That is an irrelevant and uninformed statement with regards to Snowden's situation and his decision to seek asylum in Russia. It was very simply one of the few rational options to pursue in order for him to remain a 'free man', as has been made abundantly clear by now.
- scrrr 13y agoI 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.
- pjmlp 13y ago> ... our politicians (and technology providers) are a bunch of disgusting LIARS. I never thought otherwise.
- zepolud 13y agoIt's safe to assume that most of us accepted that the mass surveillance programs existed. This doesn't diminish the importance of what Snowden did. It was more of an emperor-has-no-clothes moment than some unexpected, shocking revelation. It forced a lot of people to stop avoiding the problem and to actually start talking about it openly.
- pjmlp 13y agoI think Snowden has lots of courage for doing what he did, specially since it is the type of revelation that may cost him his life. I have been downvoted already on the parent post, but coming from an European country that experienced dictatorship for 41 years, I have a tendency to not believe in politicians. Many fellow Europeans had to endure similar governments in the last century. So how could in the land of free, citizens expect it would be any different?!
- mikegioia 13y agoI can honestly say I didn't expect this to happen. Hopefully Snowden can rebuild his life in Russia.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- brianbreslin 13y agoSo 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?
- agilebyte 13y ago1. FSB
- kwal0203 13y agoI don't think He'll be getting any FSB (new KGB) protection. They most likely control him now.
- kristofferR 13y agoWhat's the difference?
- kwal0203 13y agoWell being under their control implies you will do what they say. True, he will be protected but in essence he is 'buying' this protection through submission not 'getting' it.
- tootie 13y agoI think I'd rather do 2 years at Club Fed in the US than be under FSB control in Russia. I mean, Putin straight kills journalists.
- falk 13y ago"I mean, Putin straight kills journalists." So does the United States of America. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rXPrfnU3G0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rXPrfnU3G0 The United States government wants to make an example out of Snowden. There's no way he would serve just two years in prison.
- twentyfourseven 13y agoThis 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 13y agoIt won't matter, now he will have to keep watching his back every second.
- rocky1138 13y agoIn an ironic twist of fate, living like Josh Harris, with cameras live streaming him 24/7 from now on might keep him safe.
- jaydz 13y agoI actually hope he stays put in Russia. These Latin American countries would be an easy target for the American govt to bully.
- shreeshga 13y agohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SORM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SORM: Snowden's next target.
- guard-of-terra 13y agoWhat is there to blow whistle about? Everybody knows about it.
- canadiancreed 13y agoGuess 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?
- Drakim 13y agoSnowden 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.
- belorn 13y agoThe 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.
- osmsiberiano 13y agoThere 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.
- Justsignedup 13y agoin a backwards twist of fate... Russia is protecting people from the United states for freedom of speech.
- Justsignedup 13y agoin a backwards twist of fate... Russia is protecting people from the United states for freedom of speech.
- wellboy 13y agoDoes that mean he accepted the demands of Russia of not being able to disclose any further information anymore?
- pdknsk 13y agoI wonder if his next target is Wladiwostok. It seems less complicated to get to Latin America from there, if he still wants to.
- WildUtah 13y agoThere are no direct flights. You have to connect through Tokyo or Shanghai or the USA.
- pdknsk 13y agoWell, you can easily make it a direct flight. I have no idea how much hiring a pilot and a plane capable of crossing the pacific non-stop costs, but it's probably well within his (or his supporters) means. By complicated I mainly meant the countries he does not have to fly over.
- WildUtah 13y agoEven a 777 or 787 won't fly direct from VVO, around Japan, around US airspace, and around Mexican airspace and reach even Nicaragua safely. Much less will it make Bolivia or Venezuela, if it were even possible to cross foreign airspace to reach those countries.
- ivan_gammel 13y agoIt's much more complicated to get to LatAm from Vladivostok than an Aeroflot flight from Moscow. I think there's simply no direct flights - it's not an airline hub.
- gexla 13y agoI 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.
- ck2 13y agoFortunate 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 13y agoBeing gay isn't illegal in Russia, “gay propaganda” is. This doesn't make the law less absurd.
- jeena 13y agoGood 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-crackdown.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/22/opinion/russias-anti-gay-c...
- notdrunkatall 13y agoBe careful out there...
- pvnick 13y agoIt 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 13y agoI 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.
- vog 13y agoBut imagine he violates the requiements and releases more information. Would that actually be a problem for him? Putin already said that he won't send him to a country where he may be sentenced to death. So even in that case, he probably won't be sent to the US but to some other country than grants asylum to him.
- rantanplan 13y agoI can't imagine why he would do something like that, in the open. After all he needs any friends he can get! But even if he was to break his promise of not releasing any more info, it would make more sense if he did it "under the radar". I think he is quite capable of that. Or maybe, he could do it while the Russians are looking the other way :)
- samstave 13y agoAlso, when Putin says "don't release" he is NOT saying "don't give to me"....
- anuraj 13y agoSnowden has completed his historic duty - now he can fade into the annals of history as a man who stood for something.
- k-mcgrady 13y agoLive blog over here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/24/edward-snowden-moscow-airport-live http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/24/edward-snowden-m...
- petercooper 13y agoThere's an inch thick of delicious, buttery irony spread over a slice of Onion-tasting bread here. Asylum granted by a state that once sent 14 million people, primarily those who didn't agree with the authorities, into forced labor camps with millions meeting their deaths from malnutrition, exposure, and summary executions.. and which is still attempting to outlaw homosexuality. Out of the frying pan, into the fire!
- baby 13y agoJust want to point out that what you're talking about was past, and a different government. It's like saying America is the country where black people were slaves when talking about America's decisions in recent events.
- SimHacker 13y agoJust want to point out that Russia just passed a law banning "gay propaganda" -- their term for saying anything true or positive about homosexuality. The CURRENT government. Signed by Putin. Passed unanimously by the parliament. Did you ignore that fact because you support that law and don't consider it a violation of human rights? http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/11/russia-law-banning-gay-propaganda http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/11/russia-law-banni... And black people are certainly still widely discriminated against and treated unfairly in the United States. Have you ever heard of Trayvon Martin? The incarceration rates of blacks versus whites? The Republican Party? Its leader, Rush Limbaugh? Voter suppression? The Southern Strategy? I could go on and on. Do you believe that racism is no longer an issue in the United States, because your glorious leader Rush Limbaugh told you so?
- brown9-2 13y agoI don't think you need to look that far into Russia's past to find more relevant ironies, just look at the Navalny case: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16057045 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16057045
- baby 13y agoJust a stupid question but where did he sleep if he had to stay at the airport?
- rada 13y agoSheremetyevo airport’s transit zone encompasses three terminals and includes a capsule hotel and a wing of the Novotel.
- jitbit 13y agoI'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 13y agoHow the fact that you are Russian makes you know why it was done?
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- mpyne 13y agoAre you saying he's have the same level of insight if he was from Saskatchewan, Canada?
- andreypopp 13y agoBe it from Canada his insights would different due to different media coverage but "insightness" measurement would be the same cause levels of media bullshitting both in Canada and in Russia are same
- jensC 13y agoI simply wish him good luck!
- ramanan 13y agoThe 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'.
- k-mcgrady 13y ago"Snowden's temporary asylum request is still undecided and he is to remain in Sheremetyevo airport's transit zone for now, Reuters is reporting, citing the whistleblower's lawyer." Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/24/edward-snowden-moscow-airport-live http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/24/edward-snowden-m...
- dschiptsov 13y ago...after writing down and signing the "pokazaniya" on everything he knew.))
- hannibal5 13y agoI just want to point out that if Snowden would have been spying for Russia or China, he would not have any these problems. Countries don't return people who spy for them. His knowledge is very likely still valuable and he could turn into traitor any day and Russia would take good care of him. He would get money, pension, citizenship and nice Datcha to live in. He is this predicament because he has not given up his principles.
- teleological 13y agoThe notion that defectors are lavishly rewarded -- a notion that Snowden encouraged in his comment about palaces and petting a phoenix -- is at odds with the historical record. Consider Kim Philby. After the act of defection has been milked for propaganda, the defector is dispatched to guarded obscurity. It's hard to know what's really happening between Snowden and his hosts. The notion that Russia's hands are legally tied and that Snowden is just hanging out at the airport as a logistically challenged but ultimately free agent is absurd, but it's understandable why Russia is staging that diplomatic farce. As for Snowden's role, if he has valuable knowledge and he has not "given up his principles" -- so much the worse for him. He'll get a chance to reconsider the boast that he "cannot be coerced into revealing that information, even under torture." It could have already happened, with the bit about resisting torture ghost-written by amused interrogators.
- hannibal5 13y agoKim Philby spied for political reasons, not for money as were most spies who fled to USSR. They all got KGB pensions and medals. Snowden has been accompanied by Sarah Harrison of WikiLeaks. He is not alone and isolated with Russians.
- denzil_correa 13y agoFor now, Snowden stays in the airport says his lawyer. However, considering the tone of the statement it looks like he will soon receive one. cnnbrk: Lawyer: Snowden hasn't yet received document that would allow him outside of Moscow airport. https://twitter.com/cnnbrk/status/360047355329921025 https://twitter.com/cnnbrk/status/360047355329921025
- caycep 13y agoFor some reason the theme music from "Hunt for Red October" keeps playing in my head...
- dpatac 13y agoI feel like the title of this is a lie as the article states something different. I hate being lied to and manipulated.
- SurfScore 13y agoThe Tom Hanks movie "The Terminal" seems rather relevant here.
- ryguytilidie 13y agoI'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 13y agoLast 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).