Edward Snowden leaves Moscow airport. Now what? Edward Snowden has left diplomatic limbo land. But the freedom the fugitive American whistleblower is seeking may be difficult to find in his temporary home in Russia. After squatting in the transit area of a Moscow airport for more than five weeks, Snowden was granted a one-year asylum on Thursday, ratcheting up tensions between Russia and the U.S., which has charged him with espionage. He reportedly slipped away in a taxi to the home of some American expats, calling Russia’s offer a victory for the rule of law. Snowden’s presence in Russia has sparked excitement among some young Russians. Before his asylum request was granted, he was offered a marriage proposal by the glamorous former spy known as Anna Chapman. And he has had a stream of job offers — the first from the popular Russian social networking site VK. His lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, said he intends to work, and has received letters from eager companies and individuals. Snowden has agreed not to publish any more leaks that damage the U.S., as Putin requested. But Moscow liberal opposition leader Ilya Yashin, who was arrested in a political protest, warned that Snowden “should not be expecting Russian special intelligence services to show any noble behaviour toward him.” “He should not expect that they will be treating him as some kind of fighter for liberties and human rights,” Yashin said. In Washington, White House spokesman Jay Carney said President Barack Obama was “extremely disappointed” by Russia’s decision to harbour Snowden, and that the administration was now reconsidering a Putin-Obama summit tentatively planned for September.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 02:15:23 +0000
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