Russia might consider political asylum for Edward Snowden
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Russian authorities will consider a political asylum for Edward Snowden, a former employee of the CIA and the National Security Agency (NSA), if he chooses to file for it, Kommersant said on Tuesday.
The British Guardian has dubbed 29-year-old Snowden a leaker of U.S. surveillance operations.
"By promising asylum to Snowden, Moscow undertakes the protection of persons persecuted for political motives," State Duma International Affairs Committee Chairman Alexei Pushkov tweeted on Tuesday.
Snowden may be regarded as a human rights activist, the State Duma committee chairman suggested.
"U.S. security services breached the laws of their country by tapping phone calls and conducting Internet surveillance. In this respect, Snowden, same as Assange [the Wikileaks founder], is a human rights defender," he microblogged.
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