The Guardian has published a list of countries where Edward Snowden has made applications for asylum. Currently, Snowden is in the transit area of the Moscow airport waiting to find some place who will accept him.
Some countries have indicated they would not entertain Snowden’s requests and some have not responded yet. It’s hard to believe any of the U.S. allies would agree to accept Snowden.
From the Guardian:
Boliva Has not responded
Brazil Has not responded
China Has not responded
Cuba Has not responded
Germany Has not responded
Iceland Has not responded
Italy Has not responded
Netherlands Has not responded
Nicaragua Has not responded
Switzerland Has not responded
Austria: No. Interior minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said Snowden would have to submit his request for asylum while on Austrian soil. But she added that he would not be deported if he arrived in Austria because “there is no international arrest warrant”.
Ecuador: No. President Rafael Correa said he is not considering Snowden’s asylum request. In an interview with the Guardian, Correa said Snowden would have to reach Ecuadorean territory before the country would consider any asylum request. The US has cancelled Snowden’s passport, and Correa said his government would not give Snowden an authorised travel document to extract himself from Moscow airport. “The right of asylum request is one thing, but helping someone travel from one country to another — Ecuador has never done this. “
Finland: No. Finnish foreign ministry spokeswoman Tytti Pylkkö said Finnish law required Snowden to be in the country for him to apply.
France: No response. President François Hollande has called for a common EU stance on the NSA snooping.
India: No. Syed Akbaruddin, a spokesman for India’s foreign ministry, said on Twitter: “Following careful examination we have concluded that we see no reason to accede to the Snowden request”
Ireland: No. A spokesman for the department of justice said that under Irish law an asylum application can only be accepted from a person who has landed in or is within the state.
Norway: No. The Norwegian deputy justice secretary, Paal Loenseth, told state broadcaster NRK: “Applying for asylum should be done on Norwegian soil. According to normal procedures … his demand will be denied.”
Poland: No. Foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski wrote on his Twitter account. “I will not give a positive recommendation.”
Russia: No. Snowden withdrew request after Vladimir Putin’s statement making clear that he would be welcome only if he stopped “his work aimed at bringing harm” to the United States.
Spain: No. Foreign minister José García-Margallo told reporters in the Spanish parliament: “For it [the application] to be legally admissible, it has to be made by a person who is in Spain.”
Venezuela: Possible. On a visit to Moscow, president Nicolás Maduro said he would consider an asylum request and said the whistleblower “deserves the world’s protection”. “We think this young person has done something very important for humanity, has done a favour to humanity, has spoken great truths to deconstruct a world … that is controlled by an imperialist American elite,” he said. But asked whether he would take Snowden back to Venezuela with him, Maduro answered wryly: “What we’re taking with us are multiple agreements that we’re signing with Russia, including oil and gas.”
This morning on Fox News, Glenn Greenwald promised more leaks from Snowden are forthcoming.
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