The Venezuelan government has confirmed that whistleblower Edward Snowden has met the deadline for filing for asylum in their nation, and that at this point he only needs to decide “when he will fly here.” Snowden remains in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
The White House says it is already petitioning Venezuela, as well as Bolivia, Nicaragua and Russia to immediately capture Snowden and turn him over to the US, saying that since the US has charged him with crimes he can’t be allowed to travel again. This is, of course, not how asylum works, and Venezuela is likely to reject any requests.
The US also seems to be struggling with its paperwork on arrest warrants elsewhere, with the Irish High Court spurning a US request because the US wouldn’t say where Snowden allegedly committed the “crimes.”
That’s uncertain at any rate, but a big issue, because if Snowden violated US law outside of the US, the question of extraterritoriality becomes central, and at least in Ireland, there would need to be an Irish equivalent to the laws the US are citing.
It’s like the US deliberately avoided including this on the form if it did take place overseas, as the US has regularly been criticized for having harsh punishments for whistleblowers that treat them as spies under the Espionage Act.
I'm very much ashamed at the role of the role of the German politician crap in this matter!
In such situations it becomes very clear to everybody that this form of "Democracy" (what some are telling the people) is not working at all, and we are basically in the hands of a corrupt mafia clan of Politicians and Judges and some bureaucrats (some of them even like to call themselves Scientists) who are totally dependent on that crap. There are no differences in the behavior of the ruling parties, voting has no meaning at all and the people are fooled every day and their opinion is neglected. I do not see any other way to change this than driving the entire bunch out of their comfortable chairs, taking away their pensions and other goodies. Such forms of "Democracy" need a Nuremberg trial every 50 years to make them functional.
Good for the Irish, good for Venezuela! Apparently, the 'Global Security State', which seeks to enslave all humanity, has a way to go. Snowden should be celebrated as a hero for revealing the rampant, illegal spying by the NSA under Obama's watch.
ahahahaha haaaa, the Obama government who has committed war crimes and other high crimes and misdemeanors saying to other nations that Snowden can't travel because they have charged him with crimes. What a joke. I guess then Obama shouldn't be allowed to travel, let alone a lot of our congress members?
If there is a single criminal in this world to be arrested by any nation is George W. Bush and he lives either in a African village or in Texas. Telling a truth about illegal acts of a government or governments is not a crime, not being honest and acting to deceit people by a "democratic" government is a crime of the century.
It's high time for Snowden to make a decision – he will either accept asylum in Venezuela (which he hasn't officially done yet) or Moscow – the most logical and SAFEST course of action since he's already there and could make a good living in Moscow with his computer skills. I know Snowden had issues with the Russian governments terms, but when you're seeking political asylum in a foreign country, you don't get to set the terms.
The sooner Snowden realizes this the better.
If snowden excepted Russian terms he would be silenced and it looks like his objective is to lead some change in the united states. I guess russian terms are better than torture and solitary confinement, but he could have kepted his job with NSA if he just wanted to be quiet.