NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden requests asylum in Equador - will he make it?

[busybeeburns]

Edward Snowden's asylum options narrow

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HH3Ov_P9pY]SEE! Edward Snowden seeks asylum in India WikiLeaks - YouTube[/ame]

 

Edward Snowden's asylum options narrow

 

Asylum requests

 

Rejected: Austria, Brazil, Finland, India, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland

Withdrawn: Russia

Pending: Bolivia, China, Cuba, Ecuador, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Nicaragua

Unconfirmed: France, Venezuela

 

A growing number of countries have rejected the asylum requests of fugitive intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, as he attempts to avoid extradition to the US.

 

Several states including Spain said applicants had to be on their soil.

 

Mr Snowden, who is at Moscow airport, sent requests to 21 countries in total, Wikileaks said, but he later withdrew a request to Russia.

 

Bolivia's President Evo Morales said he would consider a request.

 

He told Russian television Bolivia had not yet received an application for asylum, but added: "Bolivia is ready to accept people who disclose espionage if one can call it this way."

 

Mr Morales and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro are in Moscow for a meeting of gas-exporting countries.

 

President Maduro said he had not formally received an asylum request, but expressed support for Mr Snowden saying he "deserves the world's protection" from the United States.

 

"Why are they persecuting him? What has he done? Did he launch a missile and kill someone? Did he rig a bomb and kill someone? No. He is preventing war," he told Reuters news agency.

 

The former intelligence systems analyst is wanted by the US on charges of leaking secrets.

 

He accuses US President Barack Obama of putting pressure on the countries to which he has applied for asylum.

 

Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande has called for the European Union to take a common stand over allegations by Mr Snowden that Washington is spying on its European allies.

 

Wikileaks said most of the asylum requests - including to Russia itself - were handed to the Russian consulate at Sheremetyevo airport late on Sunday for delivery to the relevant embassies in Moscow.

 

Austria, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Spain and Switzerland said the request was invalid because it was not made from their own territory.

 

"Delivering an application for asylum from abroad is in principle not allowed," Norwegian Deputy Justice Secretary Paal Loenseth told the country's state TV.

 

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said the asylum request "does not meet the requirements for a formal application for asylum". "Even if it did, I would not give a positive recommendation," he tweeted.

 

Brazil's foreign ministry confirmed it had received a request but said that, for the moment, it did not intend to respond.

 

Mr Hollande said France had not yet received a formal request from Mr Snowden.

 

Mr Snowden withdrew his application to Russia after President Putin said he could stay on condition that he stopped damaging Russia's "American partners" with his leaks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

 

"After learning of Russia's position yesterday, voiced by President Putin... he abandoned his intention [of staying] and his request to be able to stay in Russia," said Mr Peskov.

 

Mr Peskov confirmed Mr Snowden had not crossed into Russian territory and was still in the transit area of Sheremetyevo, where he has reportedly stayed since arriving from Hong Kong on 23 June.

 

Mr Snowden had previously submitted an application to Ecuador, whose embassy in London is sheltering Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, and to Iceland.

 

Ecuador's President Rafael Correa said Quito would not consider Mr Snowden's asylum request unless he managed to enter an Ecuadorean embassy or arrive in Ecuador itself.

 

He told the Guardian newspaper that Ecuador would not help Mr Snowden travel on from Russia, and said a decision by his London consul to give him a temporary travel document to travel from Hong Kong to Moscow was "a mistake".

 

Earlier, details emerged of a letter Mr Snowden addressed to President Correa, thanking Ecuador for guaranteeing "my rights would be protected upon departing Hong Kong - I could never have risked travel without that".

 

Mr Snowden describes himself as "a stateless person", accusing the US government of stopping him from exercising the "basic right... to seek asylum".

 

The leaking of thousands of classified intelligence documents has led to revelations that the US is systematically seizing vast amounts of phone and web data.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23145887

[Matter-Eater Lad]

* government, not the rest of the people *

 

Our government is a reflection of us, because we elect them. So we are to blame as much as the government for picking these idiots and not taking a stand when they do things like this. We let them walk all over us and then act innocent.

 

 

 

 

The long dick of America is going to fuck him wherever he tries to go. Apparently everyone is turning him down now.

[Prince Myshkin]

What the hell, America ?!

 

What the hell, France ?!

And Portugal.

 

And everyone else over here, let's be honest.

[NumbersGirl]

we elect them[/color][/b]. So we are to blame as much as the government for picking these idiots and not taking a stand when they do things like this. We let them walk all over us and then act innocent.

 

We do not elect CIA and NSA employees. They are part of collective "government" so to speak, but "we the people" do not elect them.

[Matter-Eater Lad]

We do not elect CIA and NSA employees. They are part of collective "government" so to speak, but "we the people" do not elect them.

 

We elect the people who oversee them and put them into power. So again, it falls to the people we elect, who reflect us.

[Prince Myshkin]

Elections alone are not enough to ensure representation and the proper running of a country.

[busybeeburns]

Hidden microphone discovered in Ecuador's London embassy where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is sheltering

 

The device was found in the London embassy where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been hiding since last June

 

Hidden microphone discovered in Ecuador's London embassy where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is sheltering

 

The Ecuadorean Embassy has discovered a hidden microphone inside its building where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is sheltering from extradition to Sweden.

 

Politician Ricardo Patino said the microphone was found inside the office of the Ecuadorean ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ana Alban. It was found during a visit made by Patino to the embassy to meet with Assange on 16 June.

 

"We have found a hidden microphone in the London embassy," said Patino. "I did not bring this up before because I didn't want my visit to London to hold talks on Julian Assange to be confused with accusations over this surveillance device found in the ambassador's office."

 

The Foreign Office in London declined to comment immediately on the allegation and Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman said he did not comment on security issues. Assange has been living inside the embassy for more than a year to avoid extradition to Sweden where he faces allegations by two women of sexual assault. He denies this allegation.

 

If sent to Sweden he fears he would then be extradited from there to the United States to face potential charges over the release of thousands of confidential US documents on WikiLeaks. Wikileaks are attempting to assist Snowden, who is believed to be stranded at a Moscow airport and is seeking asylum in over 20 countries including Ecuador.

 

“We regret to inform you that in our embassy in London we have found a hidden microphone,” Patino told a news conference in Quito on Tuesday. I didn't denounce this at the time because we didn't want the theme of our visit to London to be confused with this matter,” said Patino, who met during his time in London with British Foreign Secretary William Hague to discuss Assange. “Furthermore, we first wanted to ascertain with precision what could be the origin of this interception device in the office of our ambassador,” he said. “We are sorry to say so, but this is another instance of a loss of ethics at the international level in relations between governments,” he added.

 

The microphone was discovered in a different room to the one Assange currently lives in. Ecuador's protection of Assange has strained their relations with Britain. The Foreign Office said after the meeting between Hague and Patino on 17 June that no substantive progress had been made to break the legal and diplomatic deadlock.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hidden-microphone-discovered-in-ecuadors-london-embassy-where-wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-is-sheltering-8685670.html

[Matter-Eater Lad]

Elections alone are not enough to ensure representation and the proper running of a country.

 

No, it's up to the citizens. That still leaves us to blame in the end. If we had a dictatorship that ruled with violence, it would be a little different. We have many options for change, part of that is elections, and yet we do very little and then wonder why these things happen and then let ourselves off the hook and blame the politicians we elected, from one party we support, and didn't do anything to stand up to them after they failed us.

[Matter-Eater Lad]

The device was found in the London embassy where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been hiding since last June

 

Hidden microphone discovered in Ecuador's London embassy where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is sheltering

 

The Ecuadorean Embassy has discovered a hidden microphone inside its building where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is sheltering from extradition to Sweden.

 

Politician Ricardo Patino said the microphone was found inside the office of the Ecuadorean ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ana Alban. It was found during a visit made by Patino to the embassy to meet with Assange on 16 June.

 

"We have found a hidden microphone in the London embassy," said Patino. "I did not bring this up before because I didn't want my visit to London to hold talks on Julian Assange to be confused with accusations over this surveillance device found in the ambassador's office."

 

The Foreign Office in London declined to comment immediately on the allegation and Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman said he did not comment on security issues. Assange has been living inside the embassy for more than a year to avoid extradition to Sweden where he faces allegations by two women of sexual assault. He denies this allegation.

 

If sent to Sweden he fears he would then be extradited from there to the United States to face potential charges over the release of thousands of confidential US documents on WikiLeaks. Wikileaks are attempting to assist Snowden, who is believed to be stranded at a Moscow airport and is seeking asylum in over 20 countries including Ecuador.

 

“We regret to inform you that in our embassy in London we have found a hidden microphone,” Patino told a news conference in Quito on Tuesday. I didn't denounce this at the time because we didn't want the theme of our visit to London to be confused with this matter,” said Patino, who met during his time in London with British Foreign Secretary William Hague to discuss Assange. “Furthermore, we first wanted to ascertain with precision what could be the origin of this interception device in the office of our ambassador,” he said. “We are sorry to say so, but this is another instance of a loss of ethics at the international level in relations between governments,” he added.

 

The microphone was discovered in a different room to the one Assange currently lives in. Ecuador's protection of Assange has strained their relations with Britain. The Foreign Office said after the meeting between Hague and Patino on 17 June that no substantive progress had been made to break the legal and diplomatic deadlock.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hidden-microphone-discovered-in-ecuadors-london-embassy-where-wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-is-sheltering-8685670.html

 

It's sad to see all these European countries being America's bitch like this. I would hope Europe would do more to stand up to American bullying. THen again, we built the global financial and military system around us, giving us all the cards in the end.

[Coeurli]

It's sad to see all these European countries being America's bitch like this. I would hope Europe would do more to stand up to American bullying. THen again, we built the global financial and military system around us, giving us all the cards in the end.

And who knows what the NSA got from spying on us...

 

I know France is sexy but still, no need to be such stalkers :snobby:

 

edit: and omg guys, i obviously meant the government, not the American people. Geez.

[Prince Myshkin]

She's right about France being sexy. I'm starting to find it more and more scary though, what with the marches against gay marriage, the tendency to vote right wing and now this.

 

Got to love their protesting nature though.

[Prince Myshkin]

That and the rife sexism.

[Coeurli]

Yeaaah, France hasn't exactly been a country of love.

 

We do like to protest for everything, but tbh when it comes to what's really important and what we really think about what's happening to our country, most French won't go down in the streets. France is lazy. Right now we're all just trying to forget our depression caused by horrible weather and politicians.

 

Oh, and our latest solution to sexism ? A few feminists decided that the "Mademoiselle" title was demeaning and now it officially doesn't exist anymore. I feel old when I have to check "Madame" :angry: I'm not married, damnit :angry:

 

But anyway, that was off topic.

 

Go Edward! :dance:

[busybeeburns]

Right now we're all just trying to forget our depression caused by horrible weather and politicians.

much the same as the UK, except next week is supposed to be scorchio.

[Prince Myshkin]

Yeaaah, France hasn't exactly been a country of love.

 

We do like to protest for everything, but tbh when it comes to what's really important and what we really think about what's happening to our country, most French won't go down in the streets. France is lazy. Right now we're all just trying to forget our depression caused by horrible weather and politicians.

 

Oh, and our latest solution to sexism ? A few feminists decided that the "Mademoiselle" title was demeaning and now it officially doesn't exist anymore. I feel old when I have to check "Madame" :angry: I'm not married, damnit :angry:

 

But anyway, that was off topic.

 

Go Edward! :dance:

 

It's something that would eventually change, you would imagine. There's greater issues though, such as not being able to walk around without remarks from half the guys. I thought England was bad with its chavs (and others) perving on women who dare to show a little flesh when it's summertime (and i really mean a little) but it was ridiculous over there. My girlfriend had to wear different clothes when she wasn't with me because she's more likely to be followed, etc.

 

When I move there I shall be making reforms!

[chuck kottke]

No administration wants bad press, since it's hard to keep such things secret after John Perkins blew the lid on what the US government/multinational plutocracy had been doing all those years. Yes, quite the irony!

Preventing Orwell's nightmare is the goal, since privacy is in part the right of protection against abuse by the powerful who use information gathered on individuals to suppress basic freedoms, destroy reputations for personal gain, intimidate those who oppose tyrants, and ruin political careers, among other things.

Democracy Now! had an excellent news piece on Eric Snowden's disclose of NSA information gathering, including information gathered en-mass on Brazilian citizens as well:

http://www.democracynow.org/

[Matter-Eater Lad]

(Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin signaled clearly on Wednesday that he did not want a dispute over the fate of former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden to derail Russia's relations with the United States.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/17/us-usa-security-snowden-russia-idUSBRE96F0I020130717

[Cobalt]

Snowden just got granted asylum in Russia, temporarily for 1 year. Has left the airport for an undisclosed location

[busybeeburns]

Probably high tea at the Kremlin

[Matter-Eater Lad]

I think Russia might eventually sell him out.