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Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two were martyred in an initial toll of the Israeli drone strike that targeted the al-Asira neighborhood in the city of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli drone strike targeted the al-Asira neighborhood east of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are the greatest resistance. Know that 'Israel' will fall because it embodies aggression, crime, and occupation; victory is truly yours
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: The value of what you are doing despite your wounds is immense, and here you are, treading the path of the Master of Nation's Martyrs and the leaders
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are moving forward with insight deeper than sight itself. The enemy sought to eliminate your role in the battle, yet you remain steadfast and continue the fight
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors one year later: You are healing from your wounds and rising above them. You have successfully passed the test
Palestinian media: Reports of stabbing operation in occupied al-Quds.
Israeli media: Sirens blare in Arava in South, near Ramon Airport.
Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouli: Egypt is targeted in plans to redraw regional map
AEOI Chief Mohammad Eslami: Our presence in IAEA General Council and fact-checking helped in preventing unilateral rhetoric that aims to portray Iran as an unregulated country

Snowden says he's in Russia because WH canceled his passport

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 2 Dec 2022 21:54
3 Min Read

Edward Snowden says the White House canceled his passport intentionally to "trap" him in Russia, accusing the US of interfering with his freedom of movement to this day.

  • x
  • Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden
    Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden

Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden explained on Friday that he is in Russia because the White House canceled his passport to "trap" him there, accusing the US of continuing to interfere with his freedom of movement.

"I'm in Russia because the White House intentionally canceled my passport to trap me here. They *downed the President of Bolivia's diplomatic aircraft* to prevent me from leaving, and continue to interfere with my freedom of movement to this day," he wrote on Twitter.

I'm in Russia because the White House intentionally canceled my passport to trap me here. They *downed the President of Bolivia's diplomatic aircraft* to prevent me from leaving, and continue to interfere with my freedom of movement to this day.

In case that was unclear. https://t.co/hOb2Azc41G

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 2, 2022

Edward Snowden becomes a Russian citizen

Snowden's lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, announced that Snowden, who leaked classified information on the US' digital surveillance programs, formally became a Russian citizen on Thursday, taking an oath of allegiance and receiving a Russian passport.

The lawyer stated that Snowden is grateful for the opportunity to become Russian, emphasizing that he can no longer be extradited to a foreign country. Meanwhile, Snowden's wife is asking for Russian citizenship, he added.

The official event follows President Vladimir Putin's September proclamation granting Snowden Russian citizenship. 

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The ex-CIA contractor commented on the situation, saying that receiving a Russian passport would give stability to him, his wife, and his two sons after "two years of waiting and nearly 10 years of exile."

In late September, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said Snowden should return to the United States to face justice.

"Our position has not changed. Mr. Snowden should return to the United States where he should face justice as any other American citizen would," Price said during a press briefing.

Who is Snowden?

Snowden is a former US National Security Agency official who leaked details of US intelligence's extensive internet and phone surveillance to media outlets, including The Washington Post and Britain’s The Guardian in early June 2013.

Simultaneously, Snowden left the US for Hong Kong and then to Russia where he was granted temporary asylum.

Then, Russia gave Snowden permission to remain in the country for three more years. Later, the permit was extended until 2020.

On March 18, 2021, Snowden's lawyer announced that the documents required for his client to obtain Russian citizenship were ready, expressing Snowden’s intention to submit them to concerned authorities as soon as possible.

The US charged Snowden with theft, "unauthorized communication of national defense information," and "willful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorized person." The last two charges were filed in accordance with the 1917 Espionage Act.

It is worth noting that on January 20, 2021, the list of pardons signed by former US President Donald Trump before leaving the White House did not include Edward Snowden or Julian Assange -- the founder of WikiLeaks.

Read more: Snowden as Musk takes Twitter: Censorship had gone too far

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  • Russia
  • US
  • Edward Snowden
  • NSA

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