Snowden 'accepts' Venezuela's asylum
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E-mail China.org.cn, July 10, 2013
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A man passes by the Venezuelan Embassy to Russia in Moscow, July 9, 2013. U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden has agreed to seek political asylum in Venezuela, a senior Russian lawmaker said on Tuesday. [Xinhua] |
US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, who has been holed up in a Moscow airport for more than two weeks, has agreed to an offer of asylum from Venezuela, a top Russian lawmaker said on Twitter yesterday before removing the post.
"As was expected, Snowden agreed to (Venezuelan President Nicolas) Maduro's offer of political asylum," tweeted Alexei Pushkov, head of the Russian lower house of parliament's international affairs committee.
"Apparently this option looked like the most reliable one to Snowden."
The announcement remained on his Twitter feed for around half an hour before it was removed.
A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin declined to comment, saying all questions should be directed to Pushkov.
After removing his original post, Pushkov said in a separate message that he learned of the most recent development around Snowden from a news report on Russian state television channel Vesti 24.
He later rephrased his original message, saying Snowden had agreed to asylum in Venezula, according to a Vesti 24 report.
WikiLeaks, which has been assisting Snowden in his asylum bid, denied that report in a Twitter post and said that Snowden hasn't formally accepted asylum in Venezuela yet.
On its Twitter feed, Wikileaks also said: "Tomorrow the first phase of Edward Snowden's 'Flight of Liberty' campaign will be launched. Follow for further details."
The group did not immediately provide any further information.
On Monday, Maduro called on Snowden to decide if he wanted to fly to Caracas.
"We have received the asylum request letter," Maduro told reporters in Caracas after he offered the 30-year-old former National Security Agency contractor asylum along with the leaders of Bolivia and Nicaragua.
"He will have to decide when he flies, if he finally wants to fly here," Maduro said.
He called the offers from the three Latin American nations "collective humanitarian political asylum."
It remains unclear how the world's most famous refugee will be able to leave the transit zone of Sheremetyevo Airport, where he has been marooned without valid documents since he arrived from Hong Kong on June 23.
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