Moscow says still no asylum request from Snowden
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 15 July 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Moscow says still no asylum request from Snowden, 15 July 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/51e79bb710.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
July 15, 2013
Former U.S. intelligence agency contractor Edward Snowden (center) and Sarah Harrison (left) of WikiLeaks speak to human rights representatives in Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on July 12.
Authorities in Moscow say they still have not received a written political-asylum request from U.S. whistle-blower Edward Snowden.
Vladimir Volokh, head of the Public Council of Russia's Federal Migration Service, told Interfax on July 15 that an application would be processed within three to six months of being received.
Snowden has been living in the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport for three weeks.
Snowden, a former U.S. intelligence contractor who leaked information about U.S. surveillance programs, met with human rights activists at the airport on July 12.
He said he'd sought asylum in 21 countries, most of which have rejected his application.
He said he has been offered permanent asylum in Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, but has been unable to travel because the United States canceled his passport.
Based on reporting by Interfax and ITAR-TASS
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
