Russia grants Edward Snowden temporary asylum
The Itar-tass news agency reported Thursday that Russia’s Federal Migration Service has granted 1-year temporary asylum to American CIA contractor Edward Snowden. He received legal documents, then left the transit area of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, where he had been stranded for more than a month. Snowden’s lawyer confirmed the information but kept Snowden’s location undisclosed.
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| American CIA contractor Edward Snowden gets temporary asylum in Russia. (Photo: Reuters) |
The White House expressed its extreme disappointment over Russia’s decision. US Senator Robert Menandez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called it a setback to US-Russia relations.