The anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks has submitted asylum requests to 19 more countries on behalf of U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden, in addition to asylum sought in Ecuador and Iceland.
WikiLeaks said in a statement on Tuesday that its legal adviser to Snowden, Sarah Harrison, submitted a number of requests for asylum and asylum assistance for the National Security Agency (NSA) secrets leaker to an official at the Russian Consulate at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport late on Sunday evening. Wikileaks claims that the documents, which outline the risks of persecution Snowden faces in the United States, "have started to be delivered by the Russian Consulate to the relevant Embassies in Moscow."
The requests were made to the governments of Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and Venezuela.
Snowden, who recently exposed a secret U.S. government surveillance program to gather phone and Internet data, is currently holed up in the transit area of the Sheremetyevo Airport, waiting for response by the Ecuadorean and Icelandic governments to his request for asylum.
Ecuador's Foreign Minister said last week that his country could take weeks to arrive at a final decision on Snowden's asylum bid, while The Guardian quoted President Rafael Correa as saying that the American fugitive would have to reach Ecuadorian territory for his request to be considered.
Snowden was in Hong Kong when his leaks were first published. Although the U.S. requested authorities in Hong Kong to arrest and extradite Snowden under a joint extradition treaty, they rejected Washington's request citing some technical shortcomings in the paperwork, and allowed him to travel to Russia on June 23.
Snowden has been charged in the U.S. with theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful dissemination of classified communications intelligence. The U.S. has also revoked Snowden's passport, making his international travel difficult.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said his government had no plans to send Snowden to his home country as demanded by Washington, but made it clear that he must stop "damaging our American partners" with his leaks.
In a statement published by Wikileaks on Monday, Snowden accused U.S. President Barack Obama of denying him his right to asylum, calling it "political aggression" aimed at frightening those who would support him.
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