Skip to content

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

Snowden's options for political asylum fading: few countries will admit him unless he's at the border

Free World Class Education
FREE Catholic Classes
In spite of his revelations of U.S. wrongdoing, few seem willing to help whistleblower

Edward Snowden, with his revelations that the United States why spying on its own citizens - as well as longtime allies, and not just terrorist suspects, won him admirers and fans. However - here's the sticky part - very few countries are willing to grant him political asylum. Going down a long laundry list, it appears that nearly every nation has an excuse not to welcome Snowden with open arms.

Highlights

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
7/2/2013 (1 decade ago)

Published in U.S.

Keywords: EDward Snowden, asylum, rejection, South America, NSA

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Many countries have denied Snowden's request or have added the stipulation that he would have to find a way to travel to their territory in order to apply.

Both Bolivia and Venezuela appear supportive, but 11 of the 21 countries he's applied to, including Ecuador and Iceland, have said they can't consider his request until he shows up at one of their embassies or on their borders. Three countries have denied Snowden's request outright; Brazil, India and Poland.

Snowden had already withdrawn his asylum request with Russian authorities after President Vladimir Putin said he would have to "stop his work aimed at harming our American partners" if he wanted to stay in the country.

Bolivian President Evo Morales said he would be willing to grant Snowden asylum. "Yes, why not," Morales said. "We are worried at the demeanor of countries such as U.S.A."

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Snowden deserves protection, not prosecution, according to Reuters. "What crime has he committed? Did he kill anyone? Did he plant a bomb and kill anyone?" Maduro has been quoted as saying. "No, much better, he has prevented wars, and he has stopped illegalities being committed against the entire world. For this, he deserves the protection of the world."

In spite of this, neither country had made a firm offer of asylum, or any way for him to leave Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport. Russian authorities say he remains in the airport transit area, technically a free man, but unable to travel after the United States revoked his passport.

Neither WikiLeaks nor Snowden has commented on the rejections. The group released a statement attributed to Snowden late Monday in which he blasted the Obama administration for trying to block his efforts to seek refuge.

"These are the old, bad tools of political aggression," Snowden said. "Their purpose is to frighten, not me, but those who would come after me . I am unbowed in my convictions and impressed at the efforts taken by so many."

Snowden denounced the Obama administration for yanking his passport once criminal charges were filed, "leaving me a stateless person." But he said the administration isn't afraid of people like him or others accused of disclosing U.S. secrets.

"No, the Obama administration is afraid of you," he said. "It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised -- and it should be."

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

---


'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'


Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Lent logo
Saint of the Day logo

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

Catholic Online Logo

Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.