US not seeking death penalty for Snowden
Source: Agencies |
July 27, 2013, Saturday
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THE United States has made a formal promise to Russia not to torture or execute Edward Snowden if he is sent home to face charges of illegally disclosing government secrets, and the Kremlin said Russian and US security agencies are in talks over his fate.
The 30-year-old former US spy agency contractor has been stuck in the transit area of a Moscow airport for more than a month despite Washington's calls to hand him over.
Russia has refused to extradite Snowden, who leaked details of a secret US surveillance program including phone and Internet data, and is now considering his request for a temporary asylum.
In a letter dated July 23 and released yesterday, US Attorney General Eric Holder wrote that he sought to dispel claims about what would happen to Snowden if he is sent home.
"Mr Snowden has filed papers seeking temporary asylum in Russia on the grounds that if he were returned to the United States, he would be tortured and would face the death penalty. These claims are entirely without merit."
Snowden's supporters are worried he could face the same fate as Private First Class Bradley Manning, the US soldier on trial for providing documents to WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy group.
On his arrest, Manning was placed in solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day with guards checking on him every few minutes.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia's FSB and its US counterpart, the FBI, were in talks over Snowden, whose stay at the Moscow Sheremetyevo airport has further strained Moscow-Washington ties.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had expressed "strong determination," he said, not to let relations suffer over the dispute "no matter how the situation develops." But he reiterated that Russia "did not hand over, does not hand over and will not hand over anybody."
A Russian security expert said the talks may be about how to secure a promise from Snowden to stop leaking if he were granted sanctuary in Russia.
The 30-year-old former US spy agency contractor has been stuck in the transit area of a Moscow airport for more than a month despite Washington's calls to hand him over.
Russia has refused to extradite Snowden, who leaked details of a secret US surveillance program including phone and Internet data, and is now considering his request for a temporary asylum.
In a letter dated July 23 and released yesterday, US Attorney General Eric Holder wrote that he sought to dispel claims about what would happen to Snowden if he is sent home.
"Mr Snowden has filed papers seeking temporary asylum in Russia on the grounds that if he were returned to the United States, he would be tortured and would face the death penalty. These claims are entirely without merit."
Snowden's supporters are worried he could face the same fate as Private First Class Bradley Manning, the US soldier on trial for providing documents to WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy group.
On his arrest, Manning was placed in solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day with guards checking on him every few minutes.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia's FSB and its US counterpart, the FBI, were in talks over Snowden, whose stay at the Moscow Sheremetyevo airport has further strained Moscow-Washington ties.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had expressed "strong determination," he said, not to let relations suffer over the dispute "no matter how the situation develops." But he reiterated that Russia "did not hand over, does not hand over and will not hand over anybody."
A Russian security expert said the talks may be about how to secure a promise from Snowden to stop leaking if he were granted sanctuary in Russia.
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