According to a report by TASS on Friday, former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden has taken an oath of allegiance to Russia and been issued a Russian passport. Snowden is best known for exposing the massive scope of covert monitoring conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA).
According to statements made by Snowden’s attorney Anatoly Kucherena to the Russian state news agency TASS, “Yes, he acquired [a passport], and he took the oath.”
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House, told reporters on Friday that “this is still a criminal investigating matter.” He then referred any inquiries regarding the story of Snowden to the United States Department of Justice, which declined to comment on the matter.
The government of the United States has long desired to have Edward Snowden extradited to the country so that he can stand prosecution for espionage-related offenses.
Snowden had fled the United States after leaking secret files that showed the vast surveillance activities of the United States and its allies. In September, President Vladimir Putin awarded Snowden Russian citizenship. Snowden had fled the United States after leaking the secret information.
“My passport was purposefully canceled by the White House to lure me to Russia, where I now find myself trapped. They shot down the diplomatic aircraft that was belonging to the President of Bolivia so that I could not leave, and they have not stopped interfering with my ability to move freely since then “Snowden, who is 39 years old, made the statement on Twitter on Friday, referring to events that occurred in 2013.
Snowden was referring to an incident that occurred in July 2013, when Bolivia complained that its presidential jet carrying Evo Morales from Russia to Bolivia had been rerouted and forced to land in Austria over suspicion that Snowden was on board. The suspicion was based on the fact that Snowden had leaked classified information.
Those who are in favor of Edward Snowden praise him as a modern-day dissident for revealing the extent to which the United States government spies on its citizens and allegedly violates their privacy. His detractors accuse him of being a traitor who put people’s lives in peril by revealing the covert techniques that Western spies use to eavesdrop on enemy regimes and terrorists.
If so, we hope you’ll enjoy reading our article. If so, please share your thoughts in the box below. Including Journalistpr.com. in your bookmarks may help you receive more of these updates.