Snowden says no regrets over personal cost
Source: Agencies |
July 13, 2013, Saturday
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Ex-intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, encamped at a Russian airport evading the reach of US authorities, said yesterday he had sacrificed a comfortable life in disclosing US spying secrets but had no regrets.
"A little over one month ago, I had family, a home in paradise," he said in the first public remarks on what he sees as the personal cost of incurring Washington's anger in disclosing details of US electronic surveillance programs.
"I also had the capability without any warrant to search for, seize, and read your communications. Anyone's communications at any time. That is the power to change people's fates," he told human rights activists at the Moscow airport where he has lived since arriving from Hong Kong on June 23.
"I did what I believed right and began a campaign to correct this wrongdoing. I did not seek to enrich myself. I did not seek to sell US secrets," he said.
Snowden, 30, in remarks relayed by the anti-secrecy group Wikileaks, said he would seek temporary asylum in Russia. Until now he has been living in the transit area of the Sheremetyevo airport without having gone through passport control.
Russian authorities said he should not harm the interests of the United States if he wants refuge in Russia -a condition set by President Vladimir Putin.
"Snowden is serious about obtaining political asylum in the Russian Federation," said Vyacheslav Nikonov, a Russian lawmaker who attended the meeting with Snowden.
Participants of the meeting said Snowden would seek to travel on to Latin America. But it remains unclear when that might happen, or how.
"He wants to move further on, he wants to move to Latin America - he said it quite clearly," Tanya Lokshina, deputy head of the Moscow office of Human Rights Watch, said. "But in order to be guaranteed safety here in Russia, the only way for him to go was to file a formal asylum plea."
Russian officials have shown increasing impatience over Snowden's stay, but it also becomes clear that he has no easy route to a safe haven from Moscow.
Snowden's predicament has thrust him into the hands of Russia as Washington and Moscow are seeking to improve relations that soured over issues including Syria and human rights since Putin's return to the Kremlin in 2012.
Putin has frequently accused the US of double standards on human rights and has championed its critics, but he has invited President Barack Obama to Moscow for a summit in early September and does not want to ruin the chances for that.
Putin's spokesman repeated earlier conditions that Snowden should stop harming the interests of the US if he wants asylum.
"As far as we know, he considers himself a defender of human rights and a campaigner for democratic ideals," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Peskov said Snowden should "fully refrain from actions inflicting damage on our American partners and on Russian-American relations," the Interfax news agency reported.
Nikonov said that this message had got through.
"I asked him if he was ready to give up his political activity against the United States. He said, 'Definitely, yes, all this activity was in the past'."
"A little over one month ago, I had family, a home in paradise," he said in the first public remarks on what he sees as the personal cost of incurring Washington's anger in disclosing details of US electronic surveillance programs.
"I also had the capability without any warrant to search for, seize, and read your communications. Anyone's communications at any time. That is the power to change people's fates," he told human rights activists at the Moscow airport where he has lived since arriving from Hong Kong on June 23.
"I did what I believed right and began a campaign to correct this wrongdoing. I did not seek to enrich myself. I did not seek to sell US secrets," he said.
Snowden, 30, in remarks relayed by the anti-secrecy group Wikileaks, said he would seek temporary asylum in Russia. Until now he has been living in the transit area of the Sheremetyevo airport without having gone through passport control.
Russian authorities said he should not harm the interests of the United States if he wants refuge in Russia -a condition set by President Vladimir Putin.
"Snowden is serious about obtaining political asylum in the Russian Federation," said Vyacheslav Nikonov, a Russian lawmaker who attended the meeting with Snowden.
Participants of the meeting said Snowden would seek to travel on to Latin America. But it remains unclear when that might happen, or how.
"He wants to move further on, he wants to move to Latin America - he said it quite clearly," Tanya Lokshina, deputy head of the Moscow office of Human Rights Watch, said. "But in order to be guaranteed safety here in Russia, the only way for him to go was to file a formal asylum plea."
Russian officials have shown increasing impatience over Snowden's stay, but it also becomes clear that he has no easy route to a safe haven from Moscow.
Snowden's predicament has thrust him into the hands of Russia as Washington and Moscow are seeking to improve relations that soured over issues including Syria and human rights since Putin's return to the Kremlin in 2012.
Putin has frequently accused the US of double standards on human rights and has championed its critics, but he has invited President Barack Obama to Moscow for a summit in early September and does not want to ruin the chances for that.
Putin's spokesman repeated earlier conditions that Snowden should stop harming the interests of the US if he wants asylum.
"As far as we know, he considers himself a defender of human rights and a campaigner for democratic ideals," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Peskov said Snowden should "fully refrain from actions inflicting damage on our American partners and on Russian-American relations," the Interfax news agency reported.
Nikonov said that this message had got through.
"I asked him if he was ready to give up his political activity against the United States. He said, 'Definitely, yes, all this activity was in the past'."
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