Post date: Jul 12, 2013 2:7:44 PM
Human rights activists, lawyers, and lawmakers gather for meeting with former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden, speculating that Snowden will take asylum in Russia.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JULY 12, 2013) (REUTERS) - Former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden planned to meet representatives from human rights groups, lawyers, and Russian officials on Friday (July 12) at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, where the fugitive contractor has likely been in the passenger transit area since he flew from Hong Kong on June 23.
In an email sent to a Human Rights Watch official and posted on Facebook, the writer purporting to be Snowden said U.S. officials have been waging a campaign to prevent him from taking up offers of asylum.In the letter, he said he had invited the groups to meet at Sheremetyevo Airport to discuss "next steps forward in my situation".
Journalists swarmed to Sheremetyevo on Friday afternoon to talk to the representatives and speculate on the content of the meetings.
Prominent Russian attorney Henri Reznik said he thought that Snowden would stay in Russia.
"Snowden has a few reasons to suppose that, as is written in legal documents, they won't let him go anywhere. And in this case he is driven into a corner and he will probably ask for asylum from the country in which he is now located," he said.
Amnesty International Russia Director Sergei Nikitin said he thought Snowden would be imperilled if he returned to the U.S.
"We think that this person will be in danger if he is given over to the authorities of the United States. This is what we have said in our many statements," Nikitin said.
State Duma deputy Vyacheslav Nikonov said asylum was not out of the question for the 30-year-old fugitive.
"He already asked for asylum in here in Russia, and the response was positive on one condition - that he stops to hurt the interests of our American partners, as Putin put it, so the ball is on his side of the field," Nikonov said.
In a separate email to Reuters, Snowden confirmed that the meeting with human rights groups would go ahead but said it would be closed to the press. He said he planned to inform the media about the meeting later on Friday.