In a blow to the Obama administration, which expected cooperation from Hong Kong on detaining and extraditing Edward Snowden so that he could face espionage charges recently filed against him by the United States, Hong Kong authorities allowed Snowden to board and leave on a Russian national airline, headed to Moscow where Snowden is expected to make another connection towards his ultimate goal. Snowden is being accompanied by Wikileaks legal advisers.Wikileaks statement below:
Mr Edward Snowden, the American whistleblower who exposed evidence of a global surveillance regime conducted by US and UK intelligence agencies, has left Hong Kong legally. He is bound for a democratic nation via a safe route for the purposes of asylum, and is being escorted by diplomats and legal advisors from WikiLeaks.
Mr Snowden requested that WikiLeaks use its legal expertise and experience to secure his safety. Once Mr Snowden arrives at his final destination his request will be formally processed.
Former Spanish Judge Mr Baltasar Garzon, legal director of Wikileaks and lawyer for Julian Assange has made the following statement:
"The WikiLeaks legal team and I are interested in preserving Mr Snowden’s rights and protecting him as a person. What is being done to Mr Snowden and to Mr Julian Assange - for making or facilitating disclosures in the public interest - is an assault against the people".
According to the New York Times, a source familiar with Snowden's situation, claims Snowden's final destination could be Caracas, Venezuela, where it is expected he will be offered asylum.
“He chose such a complex route in the hope that he will not be detained and he will be able to reach his final destination — Venezuela — unhindered,” the person said.
On Sunday the Hong Kong government issued it's first statement on Snowden and the the U.S. request to detain Snowden, citing the U.S.'s failure to "comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law."
Statement below:
The HKSAR Government today (June 23) issued the following statement on Mr Edward Snowden:
Mr Edward Snowden left Hong Kong today (June 23) on his own accord for a third country through a lawful and normal channel.
The US Government earlier on made a request to the HKSAR Government for the issue of a provisional warrant of arrest against Mr Snowden. Since the documents provided by the US Government did not fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law, the HKSAR Government has requested the US Government to provide additional information so that the Department of Justice could consider whether the US Government's request can meet the relevant legal conditions. As the HKSAR Government has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr Snowden from leaving Hong Kong.
The HKSAR Government has already informed the US Government of Mr Snowden's departure.
Meanwhile, the HKSAR Government has formally written to the US Government requesting clarification on earlier reports about the hacking of computer systems in Hong Kong by US government agencies. The HKSAR Government will continue to follow up on the matter so as to protect the legal rights of the people of Hong Kong.
Ends/Sunday, June 23, 2013
Issued at HKT 16:05
As to the last paragraph in the statement from the Hong Kong government, Snowden has provided the South China Morning Post, with documents showing the U.S. had hacked into Chinese phone systems and stole SMS data, which the Post reported on June 23, 2013.
(READ- NSA Leaker, Snowden: US Hacked Chinese Mobile Phone Companies, Stole SMS Data)
Interfax reports that Snowden might spend the night at the Venezuelan embassy in Moscow before leaving on Monday for Havana, en route to Caracas.
Also according to the NYT, it is very possible that Russia would offer Snowden asylum:
Mr. Snowden is reportedly carrying four laptop computers with a cornucopia of American intelligence documents that he downloaded to a thumb drive this spring while working in Hawaii for the National Security Agency as an employee of Booz Allen Hamilton. The Guardian newspaper of Britain has already disclosed a week ago that Mr. Snowden provided the newspaper with documents showing that during a conference in London in 2009, the United States was able to access the communications of Dmitri A. Medvedev, then the Russian president and now the prime minister — a disclosure that will almost certainly cause Russia to review its codes and other procedures for top leaders.Obviously the Obama administration is anxious to take possession of Snowden's four laptops and his thumb drive with what Snowden has assured media outlets, still contains a treasure trove of information on U.S. spying, domestic and international.
Dmitri V. Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, said he considered it likely that Mr. Snowden would remain in Russia, a country that is increasingly positioning itself as a protector of people like Mr. Assange, whom Western governments wish to prosecute.
“I don’t think there is any other country that would stand up to U.S. pressure, which will be tremendous,” Mr. Trenin said. “The Chinese don’t want to spoil their relationship with the United States. Russia is sometimes embracing conflict with the U.S.”
He noted that Russia Today, the state-financed English-language cable news channel, has become a platform for figures like Mr. Assange, who are unlikely to appear through mainstream Western news outlets.
“Russia is turning into a haven — virtually, intellectually and physically — for those who have an ax to grind with the West, who are whistle-blowers or have problems with Western authorities,” he said. “It’s the only country in the world that at this point can afford it, or thinks it can afford it.” Mr. Trenin said that even if Mr. Snowden transfers in Moscow and continues to another destination, like Havana or Caracas, Russia will still have played a central role in his flight from prosecution.
“The minute Aeroflot got the information that a certain person by the name of Snowden is about to buy a ticket, this information would be immediately transferred to the quote-unquote competent authorities,” he said. “It would be a political decision to give him a ticket or deny him a ticket.”
It is just as apparent that Hong Kong, Russia and others offering a safe haven to Snowden, are not all that interested in helping the U.S.
[Update] It may be a coincidence but The Guardian, in live updates, shows two cars from the Ecuadorean embassy outside the terminal at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport where Edward Snowden is believed to have landed.
[Update]Well this could explain the Ecuadorean embassy, via Wapo:
Snowden was being examined at the airport by a doctor from the Ecuadorian Embassy, according to RT, a television network financed by the Russian government.[Update] The Obama administration is doing everything they can to prevent Snowden from traveling.
Snowden's U.S. passport revoked yesterday & Hong Kong authorities notified -- but may have come too late to stop Snowden leaving HK
— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) June 23, 2013
#Russia notified by U.S. embassy in Moscow that Snowden no longer has a valid U.S. passport & that U.S. "desires to have him deported" #NSA
— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) June 23, 2013
Doesn't seem to be working. This is what happens when a U.S. presidents commands no respect across the world.
Via The Guardian:
ABC reports that Snowden's passport was revoked on Saturday, leaving US officials even more baffled as to how he was allowed to fly out from Hong Kong. It is, however, unlikely to be a problem for Russia – if Snowden is in transit and never leaves the airport, his immigration status is not Moscow's issue.
