Edward Snowden ha parlato all’aeroporto Sheremetyevo di Mosca, dove si trova da circa due settimane dopo essere atterrato da Hong Kong. La fonte dello scandalo PRISM, diffuso da The Guardian e da altri quotidiani, avrebbe presentato numerose richieste di asilo che sarebbero state accolte da quattro paesi: Venezuela, Russia, Bolivia, Nicaragua ed Ecuador. Secondo Ellen Barry del New York Times, Tanya Lokshina di Human Rights Watch avrebbe riferito dell’esito positivo di queste richieste di asilo.
Secondo la giornalista del New York Times e l’attivista per i diritti umani, Snowden sostiene di non poter fare appello alle organizzazioni internazionali. Dice che è riconosciuto come un richiedente asilo da parte dell’Alto Commissariato delle Nazioni Unite per i Rifugiati – ma gli Stati Uniti, dice, non riconoscono questa richiesta, come dimostra la vicenda legata ai ritardi nel rientro dell’aereo del presidente boliviano Morales.
Tuttavia Snowden avrebbe presentato una nuova domanda, per un visto temporaneo, alla Russia. Secondo quanto era stato diffuso in precedenza Snowden avrebbe quindi riconsiderato la sua posizione nei confronti di Mosca, dopo che il presidente Putin aveva dichiarato che avrebbe accolto la richiesta dell’ex contractor della NSA a patto che Snowden smettesse di danneggiare gli Stati Uniti. Snowden avrebbe dichiarato che vorrebbe rimanere in Russia e viaggiare e che nessuna delle azioni che ha intrapreso avevano come obiettivo di «danneggiare gli Stati Uniti», cioè quanto era stato posto dal presiente Putin come ostativo per accogliere la sua domanda di asilo.
Si apprende che ci sarebbe stato un colloquio telefonico fra il presidente degli Stati Uniti Barack Obama e il suo omologo russo Vladimir Putin. Oggetto della telefonata «una serie di questioni legate alla sicurezza e alle relazioni bilaterali, compresa quella sullo status di Edward Snowden».
La cronaca della conferenza stampa del 12 luglio di Edward Snowden
18.00 Su You Tube un breve video della conferenza di Snowden all’aereoporto di Mosca. Quando parte un annuncio, Snowden si interrompe e commenta: “L’ho sentito molte volte negli ultimi giorni”.
17.00 WikiLeaks ha pubblicato una lunga dichiarazione di Edward Snowden, datata alle 17:00 ora di Mosca. Ecco la versione integrale:
Hello. My name is Ed Snowden. A little over one month ago, I had family, a home in paradise, and I lived in great comfort. I also had the capability without any warrant to search for, seize, and read your communications. Anyone’s communications at any time. That is the power to change people’s fates.
It is also a serious violation of the law. The 4th and 5th Amendments to the Constitution of my country, Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and numerous statutes and treaties forbid such systems of massive, pervasive surveillance. While the US Constitution marks these programs as illegal, my government argues that secret court rulings, which the world is not permitted to see, somehow legitimize an illegal affair. These rulings simply corrupt the most basic notion of justice – that it must be seen to be done. The immoral cannot be made moral through the use of secret law.
I believe in the principle declared at Nuremberg in 1945: “Individuals have international duties which transcend the national obligations of obedience. Therefore individual citizens have the duty to violate domestic laws to prevent crimes against peace and humanity from occurring.”
Accordingly, I did what I believed right and began a campaign to correct this wrongdoing. I did not seek to enrich myself. I did not seek to sell US secrets. I did not partner with any foreign government to guarantee my safety. Instead, I took what I knew to the public, so what affects all of us can be discussed by all of us in the light of day, and I asked the world for justice.
That moral decision to tell the public about spying that affects all of us has been costly, but it was the right thing to do and I have no regrets.
Since that time, the government and intelligence services of the United States of America have attempted to make an example of me, a warning to all others who might speak out as I have. I have been made stateless and hounded for my act of political expression. The United States Government has placed me on no-fly lists. It demanded Hong Kong return me outside of the framework of its laws, in direct violation of the principle of non-refoulement – the Law of Nations. It has threatened with sanctions countries who would stand up for my human rights and the UN asylum system. It has even taken the unprecedented step of ordering military allies to ground a Latin American president’s plane in search for a political refugee. These dangerous escalations represent a threat not just to the dignity of Latin America, but to the basic rights shared by every person, every nation, to live free from persecution, and to seek and enjoy asylum.
Yet even in the face of this historically disproportionate aggression, countries around the world have offered support and asylum. These nations, including Russia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Ecuador have my gratitude and respect for being the first to stand against human rights violations carried out by the powerful rather than the powerless. By refusing to compromise their principles in the face of intimidation, they have earned the respect of the world. It is my intention to travel to each of these countries to extend my personal thanks to their people and leaders.
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. With, for example, the grant of asylum provided by Venezuela’s President Maduro, my asylee status is now formal, and no state has a basis by which to limit or interfere with my right to enjoy that asylum. As we have seen, however, some governments in Western European and North American states have demonstrated a willingness to act outside the law, and this behavior persists today. This unlawful threat makes it impossible for me to travel to Latin America and enjoy the asylum granted there in accordance with our shared rights.
This willingness by powerful states to act extra-legally represents a threat to all of us, and must not be allowed to succeed. Accordingly, I ask for your assistance in requesting guarantees of safe passage from the relevant nations in securing my travel to Latin America, as well as requesting asylum in Russia until such time as these states accede to law and my legal travel is permitted. I will be submitting my request to Russia today, and hope it will be accepted favorably.
If you have any questions, I will answer what I can.
Thank you.
RT @KooyJan: @sbeaugeAFP Here you go, Copyright Tanya Lokshina, Human Rights Watch pic.twitter.com/1apFV8Sb8W #Snowden
— PaulTOwen (@PaulTOwen) July 12, 2013
16.20 Il portavoce di Putin Dmitry Peskov ha detto che non è a conoscenza di una richiesta formale di asilo inviata da Snowden, come riporta Reuters. Come accennato in precedenza, ha ribadito la richiesta di Putin che Snowden smetta di danneggiare gli Stati Uniti prima che gli sia concesso asilo.
Vladimir Lukin, Russia’s HR-ambassador, tells that Snowden considers himself a patriot.
— Olaf Koens (@obk) July 12, 2013
16.13 Associated Press riporta i nomi delle persone presenti alla conferenza stampa: Vyacheslav Nikonov, deputato russo, Sergei Nikitin, direttore di Amnesty International Russia, Tanya Lokshina di Human Rights Watch, Vladimir Lukin, attivista politico liberale attualmente Commissario per i diritti umani della Russia, e l’avvocato Genri Reznik.
16.10 Il portavoce di Putin ha ribadito che Snowden deve astenersi dal danneggiare gli Stati Uniti, se vuole asilo in Russia.
16.05 Il parlamentare russo Vyacheslav Nikonov presente alla conferenza stampa ha confermato l’intenzione di Snowden di chiedere asilo in Russia
Has #Snowden agreed to stop leaking, or is he making the case that leaking is not damaging to American interests?
— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013
16.00 WikiLeaks ha appena twittato che questa sera rilascerà le dichiarazioni di Snowden alle organizzazioni per i diritti umani.
We will be releasing Edward #Snowden‘s statement to human rights groups early this evening.
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) July 12, 2013
15.56 Si sente sicuro all’aeroporto, ma sa che non potrebbere restare qui per sempre.
15. 55 Lokshina, di Human Rights Watch, sta dicendo che Snowden ha intenzione di chiedere asilo in Russia e poi in America Latina (Lokshina è intervistata in questo momento dalla tv russa)
June 30, #Snowden handed in asylum request, but Putin speech followed, saying he cld only stay if he stopped publishing work damaging to US
— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013
“No actions I take or plan are meant to harm the US,” Snowden says, so Putin’s condition poses no obstacle, @TanyaLokshina @hrw reports
— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013
Snowden is saying he seeks to remain in Russia and travel. He wants intl orgs to petition the United States, EU not to interfere. from @hrw
— Ellen Barry (@EllenBarryNYT) July 12, 2013