#12 - June 9th
Snowden confirmed himself as the whistleblower, revealing his identity in a video interview with The Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald. During the interview he was very composed and open even though Greenwald offered him a chance to conduct the interview anonymously. He stated “I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong.”
#11 - June 23rd
The US government requested Snowdens' extradition from Hong Kong. Snowden explained “NSA employees must declare their foreign travel 30 days in advance and are monitored. There was a distinct possibility I would be interdicted en route, so I had to travel with no advance booking to a country with the cultural and legal framework to allow me to work without being immediately detained. Hong Kong provided that. Iceland could be pushed harder, quicker, before the public could have a chance to make their feelings known, and I would not put that past the current US administration.”
#10 - June 25th
He left Hong Kong on a flight to Moscow after the extradition request. He was believed to stay in the transit zone of Sheremetyevo airport. Putin confirmed that Snowden had arrived to Moscow on the 25th saying “He came as a transit passenger and he does not need a visa or other documents. As a transit passenger he has the right to buy a ticket and fly where he wants. Mr. Snowden has committed no crime in Russia, thus will not be handed over to the US.”
#9 - June 26th
The United States annulled Snowden’s passport. He remained at Moscow airport as he could not leave until a refugee travel document was delivered to him. As news broke about this, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Snowden “deserves humanitarian protection”, so Venezuela would consider giving him if he requested it.
#8 - June 27th
WikiLeaks hired a US lawyer to defend Snowden’s interests. Russian Human Rights Council Mikhail Fedotov said that he could have asylum in Russia "if Mr. Snowden files such a request” Amnesty International is against the extradition of Edward Snowden to the US. Michael Bochenek, Director of Law and Policy at Amnesty International, tells the Voice of Russia that for Snowden “to reveal the NSA information with the motivation of saying that he wants the American people to know it’s been done in their name is a great service both to the US and to the rest of the world.”
#7 - June 29th
Snowden’s father told the media his son could return to the U.S. if the government leaves him at large before trial and allows him to choose where it would take place. However, Vice President Joe Biden asked Ecuador to deny him asylum, according to the country’s president Rafael Correa. President Correa says that if Snowden arrives they will first contact American officials and ask their opinion, “but the decision is ours to make.”
#6 - July 1st
Snowden had applied for political asylum in 21 countries. This includes Russia, Cuba, China, Germany and Italy. President Vladimir Putin did not mind if Snowden stayed in Russia, but only under one condition – “he must stop his work aimed at bringing harm to our American partners”. The same day, word got out that he had requested a political asylum in Russia.
#5 - July 2nd
Austria, Ecuador, Germany, Finland, Ireland and Spain stated they would not consider Snowden’s request. All claiming that they would not do it because the requests were not made on their territories. Norwegian foreign ministry spokesman Frode Andersen also admitted that Norway received an asylum request from him but that they would likely reject it.
#4 - July 3rd
The plane of Bolivian President Evo Morales left Russia and was forced to land in Austria because it was suspected that Snowden was on board. Portugal, Italy, France and Spain also did not allow Morales’ jet to fly through their airspace. After Austrian authorities inspected the jet, the Bolivian President was able to leave Vienna after nothing suspicious was found onboard. Angered after the incident, the Bolivian President threatened to close the US embassy in La Paz, stating “We don't need a US embassy in Bolivia. My hand would not shake to close the US embassy.” By July 8th, Bolivia was ready to grant Edward Snowden asylum for political reasons even though the country never received an official request from him.
#3 - July 6th
Venezuela and Nicaragua offered asylum to Edward Snowden. They were the first countries to offer him political asylum after he sent out all of his applications. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said that “in the name of America's dignity” he has decided to “offer humanitarian asylum to Edward Snowden.” Venezuela gave Snowden one day to answer its offer but he did not contact them in that time.
#2 - July 8th
Alexei Pushkov, the head of the Russian State Duma international affairs committee said that “Asylum for Snowden in Venezuela would be the best solution. This country has a sharp conflict with the United States. It won’t be worse” but the same day, the second part of the Guardian interview with Snowden was published. Snowden stated in it that he loves America, but does not want “to live in a world where everything that he says, everything he does, everyone he talks to, every expression of creativity or love or friendship is recorded”
#1 - July 12th
After several days, Edward Snowden emerged in a press conference at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport with Sarah Harrison of WikiLeaks. He officially asked the Russian government for political asylum and is willing to stop sharing information as a trade-off. "I announce today my formal acceptance of all offers of support or asylum I have been extended and all others that may be offered in the future," Snowden said in the statement released late Friday morning. "I will be submitting my request to Russia today, and hope it will be accepted favorably."
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