Posted on 07/02/2013 11:31:08 AM PDT by Jyotishi
India today rejected a request for asylum by US whistleblower Edward Snowden made through its Mission in Moscow three days ago.
"I can confirm that earlier today our Embassy in Moscow did receive a communication dated 30 June from Mr Edward Snowden. That communication did contain a request for asylum. We have carefully examined the request. Following that examination we have concluded that we see no reason to accede to the request," spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry said here.
Snowden, a US former technical contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee who leaked details of top-secret American mass surveillance programs, is currently in Russia.
Snowden is charged with violating American espionage laws. His leaks revealed that the US intelligence used a secret data-mining programme to monitor worldwide internet data to spy on various countries, including India.
Interestingly, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had last month claimed that he had sought asylum in India through its mission in the UK. However, External Affairs Ministry had denied receiving any such request.
Snowden accuses Obama admin of leaving him a stateless person
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/snowden-accuses-obama-admin-of-leaving-him-a-stateless-person/1136611/
Snowden seeks asylum in 19 countries, including India: WikiLeaks
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/snowden-is-seeking-asylum-in-19-countries-including-india-wikileaks/1136592/
Snowden is illustrating one of those unwritten understandings between nations, upon which so much diplomacy is based. He is not the agent of any particular state, but is an “independent actor.” One of those “troublemakers.” All of the world’s governments recognize the “unlicensed troublemakers” not as the troublemaker for one country, but all for of them. I won’t provide a home for your troublemakers, you don’t provide a home for mine. Afterall, your troublemaker may become mine if he lives here.
Now, if he really were a spy, he would have been granted asylum by his sponsoring state. But since he is a free agent, no one wants him. So he is shunned.
Thus, Putin’s statement “we won’t take him so long as he makes public statements.” The flip side of that coin is pretty obvious: we’ll take him if the tells us everything and keeps quiet about it.
I understand Caracas is lovely this time of year...
That's a good point. Showden probably thought there would be other countries that would warmly welcome him once his disclosures had occured. I wonder if he had a plan B.
I am currently awaiting grants of asylum from a few places like Hawaii (I still could have been born there), the Virgin Islands and Bali.
All Snowden has to do is declare that he is a homosexual and he will be invited to return to the U.S. with much love and affection.
His problem seems to be that he still thinks he has a lot of options.
I hear through friends in low places that Japan would grant him asylum in a heartbeat but he hasn't approached them. Probably because he believes they'd want to debrief him and know what he knows. They'd want him to be low key instead of trying to be a big deal in the expat community, sure, but they would probably take anything he wanted to tell them and not pressure him much for anything else.
Several Eastern European countries probably wouldn't bat an eye at granting him asylum if they were approached, too, even without wanting him to open up to them. And by the by, what happened to Switzerland which seems like a logical destination for him?
Apparently he hasn't yet decided to take what he can get instead of looking for someplace where he'd be comfortable.
Pick a third-world country and go for it. Detroit, New Orleans, Chicago, whatever.
Pick a third-world country and go for it. Detroit, New Orleans, Chicago, whatever.
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