Edward Snowden, the man who allegedly leaked documents on the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs, remains at a Moscow airport Friday. He met with human rights groups at the airport after sending an invitation out to several groups for a special meeting with him.
According to the BBC, Snowden met with 10 activists at the airport transit zone, which Russia has said isn’t officially Russian soil. The invitation went out to groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
“We will provide access and premises,” airport spokeswoman Anna Zakharenkova confirmed before the meeting took place. “The exact list (of attendees) is not known.”
Just an hour ago, Wikileaks sent a tweet that read, “We can confirm a meeting will take place between the representatives of a number of human rights groups and Edward Snowden today.”
USA Today reports that Snowden’s email included a statement, inviting the groups “to join me ... for a brief statement and discussion regarding the next steps forward in my situation.” He added, “I have been extremely fortunate to enjoy and accept many offers of support and asylum from brave countries around the world. These nations have my gratitude, and I hope to travel to each of them to extend my personal thanks to their people and leaders.”
Snowden also said that the U.S. is trying to “deny my right to seek and enjoy this asylum under Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The scale of threatening behavior is without precedent.”
He sent applications for asylum to over 20 countries, but only Venezuela, Nicaragua and bolivia said they would offer him asylum. Snowden still hasn’t said where he would go.
The American civil Liberties Union also issued a statement supporting Snowden, saying that the U.S. has “interfered” with Snowden’s ability to get asylum. “Mr. Snowden has serious claims for asylum and has a legitimate right to seek asylum irrespective of the human rights record of the country that he ultimately ends up in,” the ACLU said.
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