Fugitive former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden flew from Hong Kong to Moscow this Sunday on Aeroflot flight, two days after the US authorities charged him with espionage. His yet unknown further destination may be Cuba, Ecuador or Venezuela, according to media reports.
The US government had asked Hong Kong to send Snowden home. But the Hong Kong government found that the documents provided by the US “did not fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law,” according to an official statement.
Hong Kong had therefore “no legal basis to restrict Mr Snowden from leaving Hong Kong” to the destination of his choice.
A former British colony, Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. Beijing has control over Hong Kong’s foreign affairs, although the territory retains an independent legal system. Some observers see Beijing’s hand in Snowden’s sudden departure, Reuters reported.
Assistance from WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks twitted it had “assisted Mr Snowden’s political asylum in a democratic country, travel papers and safe exit from Hong Kong”.
The American whistleblower “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”, WikiLeaks added in a statement.
The New York Times has quoted a Moscow-based reservations agent as saying that Snowden is traveling with one other person, who was identified by only the last name Harrison. The companion is believed to be Sarah Harrison, a spokeswoman for WikiLeaks and assistant to Assange.
On Sunday evening, Snowden – who landed in Russia without a visa – was in the transit area of the Sheremetyevo airport, according to media reports.
Russia would consider a potential request for political asylum, should such a request be received, the agency quoted Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as saying. But Snowden’s final destination would rather be Ecuador or Venezuela, where the US whistleblower could fly safely via Cuba, unnamed sources told the agency.
The US government has charged Snowden with theft of U.S. government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence to an unauthorized person. The latter two charges fall under the U.S. Espionage Act.
Update June 24, 2013: Ecuador’s foreign ministry confirmed that they had received an asylum request from Snowden. The US fugitive’s route to Quito may take him through Cuba.
Meanwhile, the US have urged to expel Snowden instead of letting him fly to Ecuador for asylum. “We expect the Russian government to look at all options available to expel Mr. Snowden back to the U.S. to face justice for the crimes with which he is charged,” U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said early Monday.
Hayden cited “intensified cooperation” between Washington and Moscow after the Boston Marathon bombings and “our history of working with Russia on law enforcement matters – including returning numerous high level criminals back to Russia at the request of the Russian government.”
Sources: CNN, Interfax, Reuters, South China Morning Post, The Guardian, The New York Times
