NSA‘s whistleblower Edward Snowden has left the airport after receiving 1 year asylum in Russia from the government.
RT reports that Snowden’s representative Anatoly Kucherena has confirmed that NSA’s whistleblower has been granted a temporary political asylum in the Russian Federation.
I have just handed over to him papers from the Russian Immigration Service. They are what he needs to leave the transit zone.
Snowden is allowed to stay in Russia till July 31, 2014 where his stay in the country can be extended upon request.
Good news for Snowden’s supporter is that after receiving asylum in Russia, he can not be handed over to the US even if the authorities file an official request.
According to Kucherena:
“He is the most wanted person on earth and his security will be a priority,” the attorney explained. “He will deal with personal security issues and lodging himself. I will just consult him as his lawyer.”
WikiLeaks have also confirmed that Snowden has left the airport along with one of its activist Sarah Harrison.
Russian government hopes that relations between both countries after granting asylum to Snowden will remain same and authorities back in the US will understand diplomatic rules and regulations.
In past Snowden had sent asylum requests to 21 countries out of which Nicaragua and Venezuela had accepted and offered full asylum to NSA’s whistleblower while countries like had rejected the request.
Since leaving US, Snowden has been revealing several secrets about NSA‘s unethical PRISM surveillance project which can be read here.
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