NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden managed to escape the clutches of U.S. authorities over the weekend by being spirited out of Hong Kong on a plane for Moscow with the help of WikiLeaks.
Snowden was supplied with a "refugee document of passage" by the Ecuadorian government before being whisked out of Hong Kong on Sunday, according to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, speaking to reporters by phone on Monday from his hold-up at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. The U.S. revoked Snowden's passport while he was still in Hong Kong.
Snowden has been charged with espionage and theft of government property.
Assange wouldn't say how Snowden escaped, saying it was a "fascinating story" that would "one day be told." Snowden's departure from Hong Kong was entirely legal, Assange noted, citing statements made over the weekend by Hong Kong authorities who said that Snowden was allowed to leave because the U.S. request for his detainment did not comply with Hong Kong law.
Snowden apparently had no contact with Russian authorities prior to his departure from Hong Kong, according to Assange. He reportedly arrived in Moscow around 5 p.m. local time on Sunday with the intention of flying on to Ecuador through Cuba.
But either his plans changed or false news was fed to reporters, because new reports today say that Snowden was not on the Cuba-bound flight that had been booked in his name.
Snowden was reportedly barred from leaving Moscow's Sheremtyevo airport since he had no Russian visa and was forced to spend the night in a $15-an-hour capsule hotel at the airport. WikiLeaks paid for Snowden's flight out of Hong Kong and is also covering his legal expenses and lodging, according to Assange, but his stay in Hong Kong was not financed by the organization. Assange also said that documents that Snowden obtained from the National Security Agency before leaving his job, and that have not been published yet, had been "secured by the relevant journalist organizations" prior to Snowden's departure from Hong Kong to ensure they wouldn't be seized by authorities if he's captured.
Assange would not reveal Snowden's current whereabouts or discuss his travel plans, but said he was safe and healthy and in high spirits.
According to Assange and Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights and the U.S. attorney for WikiLeaks and Assange, Snowden has applied for asylum with Ecuador and Iceland. Ratner also suggested that applications had been made to other countries as well, but would not specify, presumably because U.S. authorities have been pressuring countries not to grant Snowden asylum.
Ratner and Assange condemned the Obama administration for attempting to interfere with Snowden's asylum requests and making "bellicose" statements accusing him of being a traitor.
"The U.S. is bullying countries all over the world to get Edward Snowden rendered to the U.S. where he can be prosecuted," Ratner told reporters.
Ratner said that whistleblowing was a protected activity recognized by the refugee convention under the United Nations. "The U.S. itself has recognized that," Ratner noted, and has protected whistleblowers from China and Africa who tried to expose the criminality and corruption of those governments. He said that whistleblowing "trumps any efforts to extradite" Snowden.
"Every person has the right to seek and receive political asylum," Assange said. "Those rights are enshrined in the United Nations' agreements, of which the U.S. is a party. It is counterproductive and unacceptable for the Obama administration to try and interfere with those rights. It reflects poorly on the U.S. administration, and no self-respecting country would submit to such interference or such bullying by the U.S. in this matter."
Asked why Snowden didn't approach Congress to disclose the wrongdoing he wanted to expose, or remain in Hong Kong or come to the U.S. to fight the charges against him, Assange cited the treatment of previous whistleblower Thomas Drake who attempted to report wrongdoing through internal routes and through Congress and was charged under the Espionage Act. Jennifer Robinson, a legal adviser for WikiLeaks in London, also cited the treatment that Bradley Manning received in prison during his lengthy, years-long incarceration prior to his trial.
Hong Kong authorities said that Snowden left "on his own accord for a third country through a lawful and normal channel" and said that Snowden had been allowed to leave because a request from the U.S. government to detain him and issue a provisional warrant of arrest "did not fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law."
Snowden boarded an Aeroflot flight from Chep Lap Kok airport at 11.04 in the morning Hong Kong time, traveling on a one-way ticket with a companion believed to be human rights attorney Sarah Harrison.
Hong Kong authorities notified the U.S. after Snowden left.
"We will continue to discuss this matter with Hong Kong and pursue relevant law enforcement cooperation with other countries where Mr. Snowden may be attempting to travel," a U.S. spokesman said.