Edward Snowden
Former employee of U.S. intelligence Edward Snowden, who extended the residence permit in Russia, plans to return to the United States. This view was expressed in an interview with “Tape.ru” Deputy Chairman of the Duma Committee on information policy, information technologies and communications, Andrei Svintsov.
“Snowden does not want to obtain Russian citizenship because he believes he’s doing the right thing, that it protects the interests of American citizens. I am sure that in the near future to it will likely be a decision on Amnesty or revision of claims,” — said the MP.
Svintsov suggested that Snowden is counting on the forgiveness that can follow after the coming to power of elected President of the USA of Donald trump. “Trump Amnesty to all so-called political prisoners of the people who spoke the truth about that certain US intelligence agencies are dishonest, and sometimes illegal activity”, — said Russian Deputy.
On 18 January, the official representative of Russian foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova on his page in Facebook wrote that Snowden extended the period of residence permit in Russia for another two years.
During the election campaign, the presidential candidate of the Republican party, Donald trump has promised in case of victory to return Snowden to the United States. In 2014, he posted a tweet in which he called former intelligence officer as a spy and said that before such harm that he has caused the country, “he would have been executed”.
Snowden gave the journalists a number of secret documents about the activities of U.S. intelligence in 2013. In particular, they talked about doing a large-scale wiretapping of telephone conversations and monitor e-mails around the world. After the publication of the materials he fled the U.S. to Hong Kong and then to Russia. 1 Aug 2013 he received temporary asylum in Russia a year later — a three-year residence permit.
In the US, Snowden faces up to 30 years in prison.