Bolivia offers asylum to Edward Snowden
Bolivia has offered asylum to former CIA contractor Edward Snowden, becoming the third Latin American country willing to give refuge to the intelligence leaker.
Bolivian President Evo Morales declared on Saturday that Bolivia had œno fear” of the United States and its European allies and that the country would grant asylum to Snowden if it receives a formal request.
œI want to tell… the Europeans and Americans that last night I was thinking that as a fair protest, I want to say that now in fact we are going to give asylum to that American who is being persecuted by his fellow Americans,” Morales stated.
Bolivia™s decision came after some European countries banned the plane transporting Morales on July 3 from their airspace on rumors that Edward Snowden was on board.
Meanwhile, two other Latin American countries, Nicaragua and Venezuela, have already offered to grant asylum to Snowden.
President Daniel Ortega said on Saturday that the Nicaraguan government would grant Snowden political asylum œif circumstances permit.”
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro offered on July 5 œhumanitarian asylum to the young Snowden… to protect this young man from the persecution launched by the most powerful empire in the world.”
œWho is the guilty one? A young man… who denounces war plans, or the US government, which launches bombs and arms the terrorist Syrian opposition against the people and legitimate President Bashar al-Assad?” Maduro said.
The White House has declined to comment on the issue, but one US official speaking on condition of anonymity said, œIt™s fair to say in general that US officials have been pressuring governments where Snowden might try to go.”
Snowden, a former CIA employee, has been holed up at Moscow™s Sheremetyevo Airport since June 23, when he traveled from Hong Kong to avoid extradition to the United States.
After arriving in Russia, US authorities revoked his passport to stop him from traveling further.
Snowden admitted on June 9 his role in leaking two top-secret US government spying programs, under which the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have been eavesdropping on millions of American and European phone records and the Internet data.
CAH/HSN
Republished with permission from: Press TV
Source: http://rinf.com/alt-news/breaking-news/bolivia-offers-asylum-to-edward-snowden/48376/
