Russia Won't Stop Snowden, Putin Says

• Report rights infringement
• published: 27 Jun 2013
• views: 155

MOSCOW—National Security Agency leaker and U.S. fugitive Edward Snowden appeared to be stuck Tuesday in a bleak airport terminal here, with Russian President Vladimir Putin urging him to get on his way. Mr. Putin shot down a request by American officials to expel Mr. Snowden, the 30-year-old former security contractor wanted by U.S. authorities for leaking information about domestic surveillance operations. The Russian president described Mr. Snowden's arrival in Moscow on a Sunday flight from Hong Kong as a "complete surprise" and said he remained in the airport's transit zone. "Mr. Snowden is a free man and the sooner he chooses his final destination, the better it will be for us and him," he said at a news conference during an official trip to Finland. When asked about handing Mr. Snowden to U.S. authorities, Mr. Putin noted that there is no extradition agreement between Russia and the U.S. Mr. Snowden hadn't crossed Russia's border and was in a "transit hall" for passengers with layovers, he said. Mr. Putin's comments broke nearly two days of official obfuscation among Russian authorities about Mr. Snowden's whereabouts and heightened the drama in a global showdown that involves the U.S., Russia, China and a former Booz Allen Hamilton contractor who is now one of America's most high-profile fugitives. The U.S. continued to press Russia to "expel Mr. Snowden without delay." "While we do not have an extradition treaty with Russia, there is nonetheless a clear legal basis to expel Mr. Snowden, based on the status of his travel documents and the pending charges against him," said White House National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden. But just as Mr. Putin urged Mr. Snowden to leave Moscow posthaste, the antisecrecy group that has been funding, planning and guiding his escape from U.S. authorities cast doubt on whether the fugitive has an exit route. WikiLeaks had said Mr. Snowden was on his way to Ecuador via "Russia and other countries." But he failed to board a flight to Havana on which airline employees said he was booked. "Canceling Snowden's passport and bullying intermediary countries may keep Snowden permanently in Russia," read a message from WikiLeaks' Twitter account Tuesday. WikiLeaks didn't elaborate on any travel obstacles facing Mr. Snowden. But an extended stay in Moscow would echo the experience of WikiLeaks' founder, Julian Assange, who received asylum from Ecuador last year. For more than a year, Mr. Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, beyond the reach of U.K. authorities that want to extradite him to Sweden on sexual assault charges that he says are fabricated. "We appreciate President Putin's supportive comments on #Assange and #Snowden," WikiLeaks wrote Tuesday on Twitter. In a subsequent tweet, the document-leaking group promoted the Kremlin-funded English-language channel RT's "extensive coverage on the #Snowden affair." RT, which generally runs coverage that is critical of the U.S., tapped Mr. Assange last year to host a talk show. At one point, he interviewed Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa. There are no direct commercial flights between Russia and Ecuador. The whistleblower could conceivably travel through Venezuela or Cuba. But Cuba's Raúl Castro is hoping to increase tourism from the U.S. and may not be eager to have him pass through. Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, said Tuesday his government would evaluate a formal request for asylum from Mr. Snowden if one came because he "deserves it." On state television during a visit to Haiti, Mr. Maduro said: "This guy Snowden has given the world a surprise, and he's made complaints to make humanity better." Venezuela in recent months has made efforts to patch up diplomatic relations with the U.S., which have been strained for years. "I can see why Venezuela and Cuba would be very uneasy to be part of this," says Michael Shifter, the president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue. The U.S. has said it has contacted Ecuador to ask it to deny Mr. Snowden's asylum request. On Tuesday, the official Ecuadorean government online newspaper, El Ciudadano, said the U.S. communication had been verbal and that Quito had asked the U.S. for a written request. Mr. Correa is likely to grant the asylum request even in the face of U.S. retaliation that could take forms such as freezing Ecuadorean officials' bank accounts and travel visas or sanctioning Ecuadorean exports, said Bruce Bagley, the chair of the international studies department at the University of Miami. "Snowden's chance of getting asylum in Ecuador is as good as it can get given the history of resentment, tension and lack of respect between the two countries," Mr. Bagley said.