Snowden asylum bid: 1 withdrawn, 9 denied, 11 pending
Source: rt.com
NSA leaker Edward Snowden has reportedly sought asylum in 21 countries, aiming to gain protection against US prosecutors. But nine nations have already rejected the whistleblower’s requests, leaving him trapped in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.
NSA leaker Edward Snowden has reportedly sought asylum in 21 countries, aiming to gain protection against US prosecutors. But nine nations have already rejected the whistleblower’s requests, leaving him trapped in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.According to Wikileaks, Snowden has received outright rejections from four countries: Finland, Brazil, Poland, and India. New Dehli said on Tuesday that it has “no reason” to accede the whistleblower’s request. In his application to Poland, Snowden said that he risks facing the death penalty if he is returned to the US.
Spain, Norway, Italy, Ecuador, and Austria have also rejected Snowden’s applications, stating that asylum requests cannot be granted unless the applicant is already inside the country. Italy also stated that Snowden’s application was made via fax, which is not allowed, ITAR-TASS reported, citing a source in the Italian Foreign Ministry.
Other nations have yet to respond to Snowden’s asylum requests. Those countries include Bolivia, China, Cuba, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Nicaragua, and Switzerland. Despite Wikileaks’ claim that Snowden has, in fact, sought asylum in China, Beijing said on Tuesday that it is not aware of the request. France has also denied receiving a request.
Snowden previously asked for asylum in Russia, but withdrew the request after President Putin urged him to “cease anti-American activity,” the president’s spokesperson said in a statement. Putin has stated that Moscow will not extradite the whistleblower to the US.
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