Whistleblower Snowden's residency in Russia is approaching Who will take over this "trouble that Europe fears"?

Snowden and his wife Lindsay Mills (Image: Russian Satellite News Agency)

Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee living in Russia and the whistleblower of the "Prism Gate" incident in the United States, has recently given frequent interviews to European media and continued to call on European countries to give them asylum after disclosing the current situation of their lives in Russia. It has been previously reported that Snowden had applied for asylum to France in 2013 and is currently hoping that the current French president, Macron, will provide asylum. In response, French Justice Minister Belube expressed support for providing asylum to Snowden.

It is a sad thing that can only be heard in Russia, not in Europe

According to the Beijing Overseas Network, the Shanghai Observer Network, the Russian Satellite News Agency, and the Beijing Reference News Network, more than a dozen countries have so far refused to provide asylum to the 36-year-old whistleblower, which has made him question the reasons for these countries' refusal and the current "system of our lives."

Snowden believes that "all countries in Europe are now afraid of my trouble", but still wants to seek political asylum.

Snowden said: "If you can accept me, [my actions] will no longer be regarded as anti-American hostilities." Such a decision would be an act for anyone that would help to "look at history objectively."

Snowden said it was "sad" to be heard only here (in Russia), not in Europe. "Protecting whistleblowers is not a hostile act [against the United States]" and wants to be able to provide political asylum for itself.

In June 2013, Snowden flew to Hong Kong after submitting a series of classified information on the U.S. government's global surveillance program to The Washington Post and the Guardian, before flying to Moscow and spending some time in the transit area of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport. Subsequently, Russia granted Snowden a year of temporary asylum. In August 2014, Snowden was granted a three-year residence permit in Russia, which allowed him to travel not only in Russia but also abroad. In January 2017, Snowden's residence permit was extended until 2020.

Married in Russia, but never wanted to live in Russia

In an interview with European media, Mr. Snowden revealed that he now lives in an apartment on the outskirts of Moscow with his wife, Lindsay Mills, who secretly married in a Moscow court two years ago. In Moscow, Mr. Snowden said he often took the subway, visited art galleries or watched ballet performances, met friends at cafes and restaurants; when taking a taxi, he did not tell the taxi driver the specific address of his home, but chose to get off in front of a house near his bus stop or residence and walk home from there. Snowden also admitted that his wife, Lindsay, spoke much better Russian than he did.

Mr. Snowden said he had come to accept the fact that his future would be linked to Russia, and now he took that into account when planning his life. He admitted to being under a lot of pressure when he first arrived in Russia, feeling "lonely, isolated and paranoid" and thinking he might be targeted by American agents on the streets.

Still, he's glad americans have softened their view of him in recent years and hopes he can one day end his life of "exile" and leave Russia.

In fact, Snowden admitted from the beginning that Russia was never his own initiative and reiterated his idea of leaving Russia in a recent interview.

Snowden stressed that "no choice was made to live in Russia." When he arrived in Russia, Mr. Snowden said, local secret services offered cooperation, but he declined. At the same time, he said: If the US government promises a fair and objective trial, he is willing to return to China.

A personal memoir, Permanent Records, will be published explaining the reasons for the disclosure of secret documents

Mr. Snowden's personal memoir, Permanent Record, will be published Sept. 17 in about 20 countries. September 17 also marks the bicentennial of the final draft of the U.S. Constitution. In the book, he explains why he made it public with secret documents from U.S. intelligence.

Snowden writes in the book: "The constitutional system can only function if all three powers work as prescribed. When these three powers not only cease to function, but also consciously and in coordination, the result is a culture of impunity. I understand that neither the Supreme Court, nor Congress, nor Oba President Ma will hold the intelligence community accountable. ”

"Now is the time to accept the fact that the intelligence community has put itself above the law and that they are right considering that the system is being compromised," he believes. The intelligence community knows the rules better than the people who create them and uses that knowledge for their own purposes. They 'cracked' the Constitution. ”

According to him, the only appropriate response to a crime of this magnitude is the publication of secret information.

"The agency that fully discloses mass surveillance, not me, but the media, which is actually the fourth power of the U.S. government, protected by the Bill of Rights: that's the only answer adequate to deal with the scale of the crime," Snowden said. ”

Denial of cooperation with Russian intelligence

According to tass news agency reported on the 13th, Edward Snowden, a former employee of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), who took refuge in Russia, said that he rejected the cooperation proposal of russian intelligence agencies during his time in Russia.

In an interview with NBS, Snowden said he would only return to the United States if he could hope that the case would be tried objectively.

Snowden stressed that the jury should have read the secret material he gave to reporters. "If the jury can't assess whether it's right to make this information public, this lawsuit won't be fair," he said. ”

The former NSA employee said he rejected offers of cooperation from Russian intelligence agencies during his stay in Russia. If he had agreed to cooperate, he could have "lived in the palace" and made an appearance at the red square military parade in Moscow.

Snowden said: "Before leaving Hong Kong, I had completely lost all the secret materialS I had given to reporters. ”

Mr. Snowden said he had applied for asylum with 27 governments, including Germany and Poland. All countries except Russia fear reprisals from the United States. "I'm not here (in Russia) for my own choice, people forget that," he said. ”

Snowden was quoted as saying that those who said he cooperated with Russia were because they "did not trust Russia."