Espionage: Edward Snowden – under Putin’s protection for ten years

IT expert Edward Snowden is still defending his exile in Russia ten years after the revelations of espionage activities by the USA, which attracted attention around the world. At the time, he had Latin America and Europe in mind as asylum destinations – but no country could guarantee him safety, he said in a video interview with US journalist Glenn Greenwald. Russia has always exploited the case to accuse the United States of “double standards”: The United States preached freedom and democracy worldwide, but Snowden and others were politically persecuted.

Meanwhile, Snowden, who celebrates his 40th birthday on Wednesday (June 21), also has Russian citizenship. On Friday it was exactly ten years ago that he landed in Moscow on a plane operated by the Russian airline Aeroflot. He spent 40 days in the transit zone at Sheremetyevo Airport while the world press tried to gain access. Shortly before, he had given journalists documents on spying activities by the US surveillance service NSA and its British counterpart GCHQ.

According to his own statements, he actually wanted to go to Ecuador when fleeing via Hong Kong – but ended up stranded in Sheremetyevo after the US government canceled his passport. He didn’t have a visa. When no country seemed to want to mess with the United States, Russia, under President Vladimir Putin, dared to come out and take him in.

Actually no more room for liberal thinkers

Snowden sees himself in the tradition of the Russian dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner Andrei Sakharov, Putin said at the time. In the meantime, the head of the Kremlin has not only had the Sakharov Center in Moscow closed, but has also destroyed free media and a large number of civil society non-governmental organizations. There is hardly any room left for liberal thinkers like Snowden. The whistleblower himself is silent on Russian politics. His whereabouts are a mystery.

On the anniversary of his revelations, Snowden pointed out in an interview with Greenwald that the NSA information obtained during the wiretapping maneuvers had been kept safe. To this day, the public does not know the contents. Snowden has always made it clear that he is criticizing the illegal collection of information by the state. And he once again criticized the US for keeping too much information secret.

Snowden was recently asked what he would do if he were US President. His reply on Twitter: “I would reduce the number of things we classify as secret by more than 99 percent.” Snowden – a board member of the US Freedom of the Press Foundation – also called for more protection for journalists and whistleblowers who uncover abuses.

Harsh criticism of US government policies

After the death of peace activist and foundation founder Daniel Ellsberg last week, Snowden criticized the US government for “abusing” state secrets. Ellsberg pointed out that secret services primarily want to create a political “system of control” and are not there to protect the public. The state is thus undermining democracy.

Snowden says he will be left alone in his Russian exile. Along with his wife Lindsay, he applied for Russian citizenship after the birth of their son in 2020 in order to have the same rights as the child, who automatically became Russian. However, they did not want to give up their US citizenship. “I’m in Russia because the White House canceled my passport to keep me here,” Snowden said. Finally, in September, Putin granted him citizenship. He now has a Russian passport.

The reaction from Washington was expected. US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Snowden had long since signaled his allegiance to Moscow. However, there is no evidence of cooperation with the Russians. Snowden lives at a distance and is rarely seen in public. He himself repeatedly emphasizes that he does not work with Russian authorities.

No more talk of pardon

In the USA, the charges from 2013 also apply under President Joe Biden – including violation of an espionage law. If convicted, that alone could mean ten years in prison. During Donald Trump’s term of office, there was speculation about a pardon – also because some influential Republicans spoke out in favor of it. But Trump did not take up the case. Today there is no more talk of a pardon.

Snowden himself told CBS years ago that he would face a trial in the United States under conditions. This includes the process being public and a jury being able to weigh up motives and guilt. “I’m not asking for a parade. I’m not asking for a pardon,” Snowden said. All he cares about is a fair trial.

However, the Edward Snowden case no longer plays a major role in the US public. Most polls were many years ago. It seems that Snowden is seen as a hero by far fewer people in his home country than in other parts of the world. While human rights organizations like Amnesty International are calling for a pardon, many US commentators flatly oppose it.